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6201 


teaching. 


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of  the 

University  of  California 


Los  Angeles 


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LC 

6201 
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1 1 


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Syllabi 


of  the 


American  Society  for 
Extension  of  University  Teaching 


for  the 


Academic    Year 
1905-1906 

Series    252-27Q 


The  American  Society  for  Extension  of  University  Teaching 
111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia. 


>^-    1907 


Contents 


1905-1906 


252.     Social  Conditions  of  Modern  England. 
L.  U.   Wilkinson,  B.  A. 

254.  English  Novelists  of  the  Present  Day. 

L.  U.   Wilkinson,  B.  A. 

255.  Plain  Talks  on  American  History. 

Bartlett  B.James,  M.  A.,  Ph.  D. 

256.  Six  European  Capitals. 

William  E.  Lingelbach,  Ph.  D. 

257.  Representative  American  Writers. 

J.  Duncan  Spaeth,  Ph.  D. 

258.  The  Ethics  of  Social  Life. 

Leslie  Willis  Sprague,  B.  D. 

259.  Landmarks  of  Modern  History. 

/.  Travis  Mills,  M.  A. 

260.  Typesof  Mediaeval  Life. 

Ramsay  Atuir,  M.  A. 

261.  Evolution. 

Samuel  Christian  Schmucker,  Ph.  D. 

262.  Great  Englishmen  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

/.  Travis  Mills.  M.  A. 


•    u  c 

CONTENTS 

263.  The  Poetry  and  Philosoph}'  of  Browning. 
Edvi'ard  Howard  Griggs,  M.  A. 

264.  Birds. 
Samuel  Christian  Schmjicker,  Ph.  D. 

265.  British  India. 
Ramsay  Muir,  M.  A. 

266.  Colonial  Rivalries  of  the  Great  Powers. 
Ramsay  Muir,  M.  A. 

267.  The  Romantic  Revival  in  English  Literature. 
^  Rarnsay  Muir,  M.  A. 

§  268.     The  Rise  of  the  British  Empire. 

'V  Ramsay  Muir,  M.  A. 

cp  269.     English  Novelists  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

Ramsay  Muir,  M.  A. 

270.     Popular  Romances  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
/.  Duncan  Spaeth,  Ph.  D. 


University   Extension    Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 

Course  of  Six  Lectures 
on 

Social  Conditions  of  Modern 

England 

1.  The  Aristocracy.  4.   The    Lower    Classes  in    Country 

Districts. 

2.  The  Middle  Classes.  t^  ,-   •  -r,        ,  .  ,    •c„„i: 

5.  Religious   Thought    and    Feeling 

3.  The   Lower   Classes   in  Towns  in  England. 

and  Cities.  6.  The  Chief  Social  Problems. 

/S37S 

By 

Louis  U.  Wilkinson,  B.  A. 

St.  John's  College,   Cambridge    University,    England. 


No.  252  Price,  10  cents 

Copyright,  1906,  by 

The  American  Society  for  Extension  of  University  Teaching-. 

Ill  South  Fifteenth  Street,   Philadelphia. 

^-iY     1907 


Books  Recommended. 


Booth,  Charles: 


Booth,  General : 

Hill,  Octavia: 

Hobhouse,  L.  T. : 

Huxley,  Thomas  H. : 

James,  Prof.  W. : 

Rac,  John : 

Rowntree,  B.  S. : 

Russell,  The  Hon.  Ber- 
trand : 

Spencer,  Herbert: 

Unwin,  Fisher : 

Webb,  Sidney  &  Beatrice : 


Life  and  Labor  of  the  People  in  London. 
In  17  volumes.  (This  is  the  most  com- 
plete work  on  the  subject,  but  is  obvi- 
ously too  bulky  to  be  used  by  the  aver- 
age student  except  for  reference.  The 
most  instructive  passages  will  be  men- 
tioned in  the  course.) 

In  Darkest  London. 

Homes  of  the  London  Poor. 

Democracy  and  Reaction. 

Social  Diseases  and  Worse  Remedies. 

Varieties  of  Religious  Experience. 

Contemporary  Socialism. 

Poverty:  A  Study  of  Town  Life. 

German  Social  Democracy. 

Study  of  Sociology- 

The  Heart  of  the  Empire:   a  collection 
of  Essays  by  various  authorities. 
Problems  of  Modem  Industry. 


Note. — The  subject-matter  of  this  Course  of  Lectures  differs 
essentially  from  that  of  the  majority  of  other  Courses.  We  are 
deaHng  with  present  aspects  of  a  nation's  Hfe,  with  currents  that 
shift  and  change :  allowance  must  be  made  for  a  perpetual  bringing 
to  bear  of  modifying  influences.  What  was  true  yesterday  may  be 
only  partially  true  in  reference  to  what  exists  today.  These  con- 
siderations necessarily  affect  any  plan  of  Study.  It  is  most  important 
to  remember  that  we  are  concerned  with  what  is  contemporary,  not, 
primarily,  with  an  historical  past.  Thus  British  social  history  is  only 
interesting  for  our  purpose  by  reason  of  its  bearing  upon  the  present. 
The  most  necessary  text-book  (if  the  word  can  be  used)  for 
use  in  connection  with  such  a  Course  as  this  is  to  be  found  in  The 
British  Daily  Press.  If  possible,  arrangements  should  be  made  by 
the  Centre  for  some  first-rate  English  journal,  such  as  "The  Times" 
(Conservative,  threepence),  or  "The  Morning  Post"  (Conservative, 
one  penny),  or  "The  Daily  Chronicle"  (Liberal,  one  half-penny),  or 
"The  Ttribune"  (Liberal,  one  penny).  The  "leading  articles" 
especially  should  be  carefully  read.  There  is  a  weekly  edition 
of  "The  Times"  published,  containing  a  resume  of  the  week's 
nev/s,  and  this  will  also  be  found  useful.  Good  weekly  papers  are 
"The  Spectator,"  which  is  distinguished  by  its  moderation,  dignity, 
and  judiciousness  of  outlook,  and  may  fairly  be  said  to  represent 
all  that  is  best  in  British  journalism,  and  "The  Saturday  Review,"  a 
clever  and  occasionally  brilliant  paper,  but  often  acrimonious  and 
IX  biased.  "The  Nineteenth  Century  and  After"  is  a  monthly  journal 
1  of  the  highest  value,  numbering  amongst  its  contributors  men  of 
'S  weight  and  distinction  in  sociology,  politics,  and  literature.  "The 
■  Monthly  Review"  also  deserves  mention. 


CJ 


A  day-to-day  study  of  The  British  Press  is  the  only  sure  means 
of  obtaining  a  thoroughly  accurate,  practical,  and  up-to-date  knowl- 
edge of  modern  English  Social  conditions.  Good  fiction  is  also  of 
considerable  value  to  the  student,  and  the  following  novels  are 
recommended  as  containing  faithful  presentments  of  various  aspects 
of  modern  English  life.  George  Meredith,  "Diana  of  the  Crossways." 
"The  Egoist."  "The  Ordeal  of  Richard  Feverel."  "Rhoda  Fleming." 
Thomas  Hardy,  "Tess  of  the  d'Urbervilles."  "The  Return  of  the 
Native."  "Under  the  Greenwood  Tree."  Mrs.  Humphry  Ward, 
"Sir  George  Tressady."  "Lady  Rose's  Daughter."  "Robert  Els- 
mere."  T.  Hughes,  "Tom  Brown's  Schooldays."  E.  F.  Benson, 
"The  Babe,  B.  A."  (English  University  Life.)  Lionel  Portman, 
"Hugh  Rendal."  (English  School  Life.)  Ellen  Thorneycroft 
Fowler,  "The  Farringdons."  Somerset  Maugham,  "Liza  of  Lambeth." 


LECTURE  I. 


The  Aristocracy. 


Difficult}-  of  drawing  a  line  between  the  aristocracy  and 
upper  middle  class  in  England.  Their  ways  of  life  in  many 
points  very  similar:  the  children  of  the  two  classes  mix  at 
school  and  at  the  University,  intermarriages  continually  take 
place,  the  grandchildren  of  the  aristocrat  may  belong  to  the 
class  below  him.  just  as  the  grandchildren  of  the  member  of 
the  upper  middle  class  may  move  in  circles  from  which  he 
is  now  excluded.  But  although  there  is  no  noble  caste  in 
Eneland.  the  English  aristocracv  has  none  the  less  clearly- 
marked  characteristics,  and  ven,-  definite  influence.  '"Every 
Englishman  loves  a  lord."  Good  and  bad  sides  of  English 
"snobber>-" :  signs  that  it  has  done  its  work  and  is  becoming 
less  and  less  acute.  Comparison  of  Thackeray's  pictures  of 
English  life  with  English  life  at  the  present  day.  Results  of 
"agricultural  depression." 

Social  Iniiuence  of  the  Aristocracy. — By  no  means 
wholly  good.  Extravagance  of  the  relatively  rich  imitated 
with  pernicious  effect  by  the  relatively  poor.  Increase  of 
dining  at  luxurious  restaurants,  and  neglect  of  the  home  life. 
The  "week-end  habit."  expensive  dressing,  and  general  un- 
thrifty self-indulgence.  Mr.  Harold  Begbie's  views.  Aris- 
tocrats not  wholly  to  be  blamed  for  the  present  failings  of 
their  class,  as  extravagance  and  ostentatious  luxuriousness 
were  first  introduced  by  rich  pan-enus  who  attempted  to 
"pay  their  way"  into  the  upper  circles  of  society. 

The  Political  IiiUuence  of  the  Aristocracy. — Still  very 
strong,  though  in  daily  process  of  modification.     "Labor 


members'"  in  Parliament.  The  House  of  Lords  is  still  of 
real,  though  diminished,  influence ;  a  large  proportion  of  the 
members  of  the  House  of  Commons  is  of  aristocratic  fam- 
ily, and  a  "good  name"  is  still  a  valuable  asset  at  elections. 
Diplomatic  genius  of  the  aristocracy.  Advantages  and  dis- 
advantages of  their  practical  monopoly  of  diplomacy.  The 
wholesome  effect  of  aristocratic  influence  in  politics,  and  the 
ecually  wholesome  effect  of  the  efforts  made  to  counteract  it. 

The  Aristocracy  and  the  Poverty  Problem. — The 
greater  sympathy  between  the  aristocracy  and  the  lower 
classes  than  between  the  lower  classes  and  the  bourgeois  or 
the  aristocracy  and  the  bourgeois.  Causes  of  this.  Work 
done  by  ladies  of  noble  rank  for  the  poor:  the  Countess  of 
Warwick;  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland.  Their  dift'erence 
from  the  "Ladies  Bountiful"  of  former  times. 

Work  done  by  University  Settlements  among  the  poor. 
College  missions.    Their  value :  in  what  it  consists. 

The  life  and  training  of  a  member  of  the  English  aris- 
tocracy or  upper  middle  class.  The  public  schools.  Their 
grave  defects  as  engines  for  the  moulding  of  a  boy's  moral 
and  intellectual  character.  The  danger  of  turning  out  men 
of  the  same  pattern,  and  thus  of  crushing  originality.  Ad- 
vantages of  day  schools  over  boarding  schools.  Prejudice 
among  the  upper  classes  against  the  former,  and  great  diffi- 
culty in  overcoming  it.  The  present  excessive  cultivation  of 
athletics  and  its  tendency. 

The  Universities. — Lives  of  the  students.  Sketch  of  the 
curriculum  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge.  Comparison  of  the 
two  universities,  and  comparison  of  them  both  with  other 
English  universities.  Bad  and  good  aspects  of  university 
life.  Grounds  for  pessimistic  and  optimistic  views  of  the 
results  of  unversity  training. 

Results  of  general  survey :  the  grasp  of  the  aristocracy 
on  the  present  state  of  affairs,  and  its  readiness  to  co-operate 


with  the  forces  at  work.  Cause — largely  the  instinct  of  self- 
preservation,  but  the  existence  of  nobler  motives  may  be 
traced.    Other  conclusions. 

Themes  for  Class  and  Essay  Work. 

(i)     The  character  and  development  of  the  English  aristocracy. 

(2)  A  comparison  of  the  position  of  an  aristocracy  tempered 
by  plutocracy  with  that  of  a  plutocracy  tempered  by  aristocracy, 
with  special  reference  to  England  and  America. 

(3)  The  political  influence  of  the  English  aristocracy. 

(4)  English  Universities  and  Public  Schools. 

(5)  The  effect  of  recent  educational  developments  upon  the 
English  class-system. 

(6)  England's  debt  to  her  aristocracy. 


LECTURE  II. 

The  Middle  Classes. 

The  middle  classes  defined.  Their  influence  as  a  steady- 
ing force.  Their  solidity,  level-headedness,  earnestness,  and 
morality,  but  lack  of  elasticity  of  mind,  imagination,  and 
susceptibility  to  new  ideas.  Their  preponderance  real, 
though  not  at  first  sight  obvious.  The  two  extremes  of 
society  are  more  before  the  public  eye  than  the  middle 
classes,  but  both  have  to  act  very  largely  with  reference  to 
the  latter.  Middle-class  preoccupation  with  business  and 
money-getting,  as  tending  to  coarsen  the  mental  calibre  and 
render  the  bourgeoise  incapable  of  the  finer  emotions. 
Denunciations  of  Ruskin  and  Matthew  Arnold.  "Philistin- 
ism." The  tendency  of  the  middle  classes  towards  hypocriti- 
cal respectability,  and  their  horror  of  detected  misdoing  or 
offense  against  convention.  Their  clearly-marked  limita- 
tions, and  lack  of  wide-heartedness  and  charity  in  the  best 
sense.    Yet  their  influence  one  that  could  not  be  lost  without 


serious  danger.  "The  backbone  of  England."  A  sober 
Teutonic  element  without  which  England  would  forget 
many  of  her  virtues,  but  an  element  inspiring  a  tempered 
respect  rather  than  any  feeling  of  affection.  The  Middle 
Classes  in  Fiction. 

Influences  at  Work  to  Alter  the  Character  of  the  Bour- 
geoisie.— The  spread  of  higher  education.  Middle-class  ed- 
ucation at  present  differs  but  slightly  from  that  of  the  upper 
classes.  Change  in  the  character  of  the  education  of  both. 
The  significance  of  Birmingham  University.  Gradual  ad- 
mission of  the  middle  classes  to  Oxford  and  Cambridge, 
consequent  on  the  removal  of  religious  tests  which  formerly 
excluded  Nonconformists,  and  the  increase  of  government 
scholarships.  Effect  of  this  not  yet  fully  felt.  Increasing 
representation  of  middle  class  interests  in  Parliament,  and 
decrease  of  social  prejudice  against  the  entrance  of  the 
middle  classes  into  the  more  liberal  professions.  The  ef- 
fects of  the  transfer  of  wealth  from  the  landed  to  the  com- 
mercial interest.  Broadening  results  of  all  these  changes. 
Signs  of  further  breaking  down  of  the  lines  of  cleavage  be- 
tween the  middle  and  upper  classes.  Likelihood  of  a  gain 
to  the  lower  classes  through  such  a  breaking  down. 

The  Attitude  of  the  Middle  Classes  towards  the  Poor. 
— Lack  of  spontaneousness  in  their  manner  of  helping  those 
beneath  them.  Natural  inclination  of  the  bourgeois,  strug- 
gling to  mount  the  social  ladder  and  to  acquire  greater 
material  prosperity,  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  needs  of  the 
people.  His  attitude  towards  the  lower  classes  often  one  of 
insulting  and  offensive  patronage :  his  lack  of  the  fine  tact 
of  his  own  social  superiors.  The  fact  that  many  members 
of  the  middle  classes  are  employers  of  labor  places  them  in  a 
difficult  position,  the  difficulty  of  which  is  accentuated  by 
competition  among  employers.  Conflict  of  the  interests  of 
the  master  with  those  of  the  man.    Attempts  to  make  these 


irxterests  identical.  Profit-sharing  schemes.  Causes  of  their 
failure  in  England.  Work  done  by  Mr.  Cadbury  and  the 
proprietors  of  Sunlight  Soap. 

The  Middle  Classes  as  a  Force  for  Freedom.— Their 
keen  interest  in  politics,  and  marked  inclination  towards  lib- 
eralism of  a  moderate  type.  Their  high  value  as  maintaining 
a  balance  of  power  between  the  aristocratic  and  anarchic 
elements  in  the  State.  "England  is  suflfering  from  the  ty- 
ranny of  the  middle  classes."  This  statement  considered. 
The  English  jury.  An  eminently  middle-class  system:  its 
practical  working.  INIiddle-class  genius  for  the  manage- 
ment of  local  affairs.  Municipal  government  and  municipal 
"socialism."  Mayors  and  corporations.  Some  remaining 
considerations  and  general  conclusions. 

Themes  for  Class  and  Essay  Work. 

(i)     A   comparison   of  the   modern   English   middle-class   with 
that  of  half-a-centur>'  ago. 

(2)  How  far  does  this  class  deserve  the  description  of  "The 
backbone  of  the  nation"? 

(3)  jSIerits  and  defects  peculiar  to  the  British  bourgeoisie. 

(4)  A  forecast  of  the  future  development  of  this  class. 

(5)  The  middle  classes  and  the  poor. 

(6)  A  study  of  types  in  fiction. 


LECTURE  III. 
The  Lower  Classes  in  the  Towns  and  Cities. 

The  Problem  of  the  Unemployed. — Caused  primarily  by 
the  modern  conditions  of  industry.  Attempted  remedies 
considered.  The  problem  considered  with  reference  to  the 
question  of  alien  immigration.  General  effects  of  foreign 
competition.  The  sweating  system.  Protective  tariffs  as  a 
remedy.    Their  promised  benefits,  and  possible  dangers. 


The  Exodus  from  the  Country  into  the  Tozi'us. — Its 
causes,  advantages,  and  disadvantages.  Sanitary  conditions 
in  towns.  Attempts  towards  their  improvement.  Mental 
versus  physical  advantages. 

Agitators  and  Public  Meetings. — Hyde  Park  on  a  Sun- 
dav.  ■  The  processions  of  the  unemployed.  The  Salvation 
Armv  and  its  work.  The  practical  results  of  the  poor  man 
finding  articulation.  The  democratic  press,  and  the  demo- 
cratic political  societies.  The  Labor  members  of  the  House 
of  Commons.    Significance  of  the  1906  General  Election. 

Conditions    in    the    Slums    of   London. — Mr.    Charles 
Booth's  books,  and  the  lessons  they  teach.     Passages  rec- 
ommended for  reference.     Drunkenness,  immorality,  crime, 
hopeless  musen-.  and  fatal  inertia  among  the  ver>-  poor  in 
London  and  other  towns.     The  large  families  of  the  poor. 
Waifs  and  strays:  Dr.  Bamardo's  homes.    The  problem  of 
overcrowding :  schemes  for  the  housing  of  the  poor.    Disease 
in  the   East  End.      Sickness   and   old   age   the  two   chief 
difficulties    of    the    poor    man.      Workingmen's    clubs    as 
the  means  of  coping  with  them  most  compatible  with  inde- 
pendence and  self-respect.     Old  age  pensions.     Arguments 
for  and   against.     Difficulty   of  agreement  upon   any   one 
scheme.  Herbert  Spencer  and  the  old  theories  of  laisser-faire. 
Reasons  for  the  abandonment  of  such  theories  at  the  present 
dav.     The  condition  of  women  in  the  slums.     The  poor  in 
fiction.     Kipling's  "Badalia  Herodsfoot."     Influence  of  the 
London  County  Council.     Strikes.     Education  of  the  poor. 

The  Brighter  Side  of  London  Life  Among  the  Poor. — 
Liability  of  obser\'ers  to  be  misled  by  the  startling  and  re- 
pulsive phenomena  of  the  lowest  strata  of  all.  Xecessitv  of 
remembering  that  such  strata  are  only  a  proportion  of  the 
whole.  Cheerfulness,  wit  and  humor,  common  sense,  and 
enterprising  spirit  of  the  London  "cockney."    His  robust  in- 


10 

dependence,  as  compensating  him  for  the  lack  of  many  of 
the  advantages  of  his  country  cousins.  The  co-operative 
sentiment  among  the  poor. 

Provincial  Tozvns. — In  the  main  London  conditions  ap- 
pear in  a  less  acute  phase.  The  manufacturing  towns.  In- 
fluence of  work  in  factories  upon  the  moral,  mental,  and 
physical  calibre  of  the  workers.  The  mining  districts.  The 
large  seaboard  towns. 

Conclusions  as  to  the  Present  State  of  the  Poor  in  the 
Large  Tozvns  of  England. — The  necessarily  tentative  char- 
acter of  such  conclusions.  Optimism  and  pessimism.  The 
necessity  of  recognizing  existing  evil  as  neither  more  nor 
less  than  it  really  is ;  the  first  step  towards  improvement. 

Themes  for  Class  and  Essay  Work. 

(i)     Modern  democracy  under  its  British  aspect. 

(2)  Modern  economic  evils  and  suggested  remedies. 

(3)  The  relation  between  economic  evils  and  others  from 
which  the  poor  suffer. 

(4)  A  comparison  of  the  House  of  Commons  of  1906  with  that 
of  Gladstone's  day. 

(5)  The  education  of  the  poor. 

(6)  The  outlook. 


LECTURE  IV. 

The  Lower  Classes  in  the  Country  Districts. 

Various  quarters  of  England  contrasted.  The  northern 
districts.  Superior  business  capacity  of  the  natives:  their 
"hard  heads  and  hard  hearts.''  Their  lack  of  generosity  and 
geniality,  but  general  soundness,  trustworthiness,  and  power 
of  work.  The  East  and  the  West  of  England.  Differences 
of  climate  as  accounting  for  differences  in  character.  The 
relaxing  air  of  the  west  of  England  as  opposed  to  the  brae- 


11 


ing  air  of  the  east.  Old-fashioned  habits  of  thought  and 
action  in  Dorsetshire  and  Somersetshire :  contrast  afforded 
by  Norfolk,  Suffolk,  and  Essex  in  this  respect.  The  ro- 
mance and  poetry  of  the  west  of  England.  Mr.  Thomas 
Hardy's  novels.  The  effect  of  proximity  to  London  and  fa- 
cilities for  cheap  and  rapid  travel  in  the  country  districts. 

General  Characteristics  of  the  Countryman  as  Opposed 
to  the  Townsman. — Conservatism  of  thought  of  the  agricul- 
tural classes,  and  their  lack  of  rapid  responsiveness  to  mod- 
ern influences.  Immense  improvement  in  their  condition  in 
recent  times.  Greater  animal  happiness  of  the  poor  in  the 
country,  but  their  want  of  many  advantages  enjoyed  by  the 
poor  in  towns.  Their  superior  physical  condition,  but  in- 
feriority in  virile  energy  of  mind,  alertness,  and  independ- 
ence of  spirit.  The  effect  of  "agricultural  depression,"  and 
the  possible  eft'ects  of  protective  tariff's.  Survivals  of  feud- 
alism in  English  country  districts. 

The  Sea-faring  Classes. — Their  superiority  in  many 
points  over  the  natives  of  the  inland  parts.  Their  more  high- 
ly developed  sense  of  freedom,  acuter  intelligence,  and  finer 
physique.    The  old  Danish  type  in  modern  England. 

Education. — The  National  Schools.  Danger  of  intel- 
lectual training  outstripping  moral  training.  The  old- 
fashioned  mistrust  of  free  education  considered.  Impossi- 
bility of  forming  an  adequate  judgment  at  the  present  early 
date.  The  effect  of  education  as  an  enlightener  of  the  moral 
sense.  Extreme  lowness  of  that  sense  in  many  parts  of  the 
English  country  districts. 

The  Work-house  System. — Detestation  of  the  work- 
houses among  the  poor.  Should  work-houses  be  improved  ? 
"Outdoor  Relief."  The  grave  danger  of  anything  approach- 
ing pauperization.  Lessons  of  the  past.  Poor-laws  and  the 
mistakes  of  former  legislators.  Effects  of  bounty  upon  the 
rural  poor. 


12 


Recent  Increase  of  the  Urban  Spirit. — The  tendency  for 
there  to  be  less  and  less  country  and  more  and  more  town. 
Results  of  this  swamping  of  the  rustic  by  the  urban.  In- 
compatibility of  the  old  rural  habits  of  life  and  thought  with 
modern  conditions. 

Themes  for  Class  and  Essay  Work. 

(i)  A  contrast  between  a  peasant  class  rooted  in  the  soil,  and 
an  agricultural  class  recently  settled  in  a  new  country. 

(2)  "Squirearchy." 

(3)  A  study  of  the  causes  of  the  recent  modification  of  feudal- 
ism in  England. 

(4)  Advantages  and  disadvantages  of  rural  life  for  the  lower 
classes. 

(5)  Contrasts  between  the  lower  classes  in  the  various  districts 
of  rural  England. 

(6)  The  "rural  exodus." 


LECTURE  V. 

Religious  Thoaight  and  Feeling  in  England. 

The  Present  Religious  Outlook. — The  present  essen- 
tially a  transition  period.  Modern  criticism  of  the  bases  of 
religious  faith.  Its  tendency  as  being  to  show  on  what  re- 
ligion should  not  depend  rather  than  to  extinguish  the 
religious  sense.  Gradual  recognition  of  this.  The  recent 
manifesto  of  the  101  clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England 
(April,  1905).  Liberalism  of  thought  among  certain  Non- 
conformist bodies. 

Religions  Indifference. — Largely  due  to  the  rush  and 
hurry  of  modern  life.  Many  of  the  complaints  as  to  religious 
indifference  unfounded,  and  due  to  a  narrow  conception  of 
what  religion  really  is.  New  ways  in  which  the  religious 
sense  is  beginning  to  manifest  itself.     Philanthropy  and  the 


13 


service  of  man.  Danger  of  neglecting  religious  forms  which 
serve  to  encourage  the  co-operative  spirit.  The  opposite 
danger  of  attaching  vakie  to  such  forms  as  ends  in  them- 
selves. Sunday  observance.  Modern  conditions,  not  irre- 
ligion,  largely  responsible  for  changed  views  and  conduct  in 
this  respect. 

Religion  and  the  Masses. — "The  masses  have  no  time 
for  religion."  Superficial  plausibleness,  but  underlying 
falsehood,  of  this  statement.  The  lessons  taught  by  the  work 
of  the  Salvation  Army.  The  Welsh  religious  revival.  Its 
significance,  and  the  significance  of  its  comparative  failure 
in  London.  Impossibility  of  appealing  to  the  Englishman 
from  the  purely  emotional  side.  The  Teutonic  religious 
sense  as  opposed  to  the  Celtic.  Irresponsiveness  of  the 
masses  in  England  to  the  Established  Church,  as  inseparably 
associated  with  the  interests  of  the  classes  above  them. 
Christian  Socialism,  as  advocated  by  the  Bishop  of  London, 
as  an  attempt  to  counteract  this  irresponsiveness.  The 
Church  Lads'  Brigade  and  its  work.  The  Church  Army  and 
Mr.  Carlile's  methods. 

The  Disestablishment  of  the  Church  of  England. — 
Desired  by  many  within  the  church.  Anomalies  in  the 
church.  Their  accentuation  of  late  years.  Difficulties  and 
dangers  of  disestablishment.  Its  possible  advantages,  es- 
pecially as  giving  the  church  self-government  and  greater 
freedom  of  action,  helping  her  to  a  nearer  sympathy  w'ith  the 
people,  and  therefore  to  a  greater  spiritual  and  material  use- 
fulness. 

The  Multiplication  of  Sects. — An  inevitable  result  of 
free  and  independent  personal  inquiry  into  religious  prob- 
lems. Signs  that  the  modern  religious  spirit  may  help  to 
break  down  barriers  between  the  sects.  Inherent  weakness 
of  sects  as  they  now  exist,  and  the  waste  of  energy  involved 


14 


in  internal  dissensions  and  quarrels  with  other  forms  of  be- 
lief.    Some  of  the  sects  considered. 

Conclusions. — Probability  of  the  religious  outlook  be- 
ing much  brighter  than  generally  supposed.  Tendency  of 
wider  conceptions  to  lead  to  increase  of  toleration,  and  of 
increased  toleration  to  lead  to  new  forms  of  unity,  compre- 
hensive beyond  the  scope  of  older  ideals,  but  none  the  less 
effective.  The  orthodoxy  of  one  day  the  heterodoxy  of  the 
next.  Illustrations  of  this.  The  idea  of  religion  as  organic 
in  character,  admitting  of  change,  development,  and  adapta- 
tion to  the  needs  of  man.  The  human  as  opposed  to  the 
supernatural  element  in  religion.  Prof.  James'  views.  The 
religion  of  the  future. 

Themes  for  Class  and  Essay  Work. 

(i)  The  history  and  present  character  of  the  Church  of 
England. 

(2)  Contrast  between  the  ideals  and  methods  of  the  Noncon- 
formist Churches  and  those  of  the  National  Church. 

(3)  An  examination  of  the  causes  and  efltects  of  recent  re- 
ligious change  and  unrest. 

(4)  The  modern  religious  spirit  as  opposed  to  that  of  the  past. 

(5)  Religion  and  the  Masses. 

(6)  Religious  toleration  and  religious  indifference. 


LECTURE  VI. 

The  Chief  Social  Problems  not  Hitherto  Considered, 

The  Position  of  Women  in  the  State. — The  higher  ed- 
ucation of  women.  Modern  high  schools  for  girls.  Girton 
and  Newham  and  other  ladies'  colleges.  Women  and  ath- 
letics. Female  suffrage.  Change  in  the  conception  of 
"womanliness"  of  late  years.  Forcible  contrast  provided  by 
the  Englishwoman  of  the  present  day  with  the   English- 


15 


woman  of  the  early  Victorian  era.  Illustration  of  this  by 
characters  in  fiction.  The  danger  of  woman's  neglect  of  the 
domestic  qualities. 

The  Empire. — England's  "Imperial  Mission."  The 
problem  of  Canada.  Extent  to  which  England  benefits  by 
her  colonies.  Danger  of  imperial  exigencies  standing  in  the 
way  of  domestic  reform.  "The  Heart  of  the  Empire." 
"Little  Englandism."  Contrast  between  the  positions  of 
England  and  America. 

The  Convict  of  the  Old  more  or  less  Purely  Classical 
and  Mathematical  Education  zvith  the  Nezv  Ideas. — Grow- 
ing importance  of  the  teaching  of  history,  economics,  and 
science.  Specialism :  its  necessity,  yet  obvious  disadvan- 
tages. Recent  conflicts  over  the  retention  of  Greek  as  a  com- 
pulsory subject  in  examinations  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge. 

The  Overcrozvding  of  the  Old  Country. — Colonial  emi- 
gration as  a  remedy.  The  fierce  competition  of  the  present 
day,  and  restless  modern  spirit.  The  Eastern  view  of  this 
aspect  of  England  and  America.  Danger  of  the  Western 
world  becoming  too  objective,  and  neglecting  the  value  of 
meditation  and  seclusion.  Possibilitv  of  a  reaction  that  mav 
be  wholesome  without  being  unduly  retrogressive. 

The  Problem  of  Labor  and  Capital. — Forces  in  England 
making  against  revolution.  Modern  Socialism.  Herbert 
Spencer's  championship  of  individualism.  Alteration  in  the 
character  of  both  Socialism  and  Individualism  at  the-  present 
day.  The  trades  unions.  Their  uses  and  abuses.  Strong 
sense  of  property  in  England,  both  among  the  upper  and 
middle  classes. 

The  Daily  Press. — Its  high  value  as  an  informing 
agency.  Its  usefulness  as  affording  a  vent  for  grievances 
which  might  otherwise  fester  beneath  the  surface.  The 
press  as  a  force  making  for  alertness  of  mind  among  all 
classes,  and  keeping  them  in  touch  with  the  problems  of  the 


16 


day.     Its   influence   in  the  direction  of  mutual  toleration. 
"Yellow  journalism"  in  England. 

Protective  Tariits. — Mews  of  the  leading  economists. 
Views  of  Air.  Chamberlain.  Impossibility  of  taking  a  mid- 
dle course  in  practice,  owing  to  the  inevitable  tendency  of 
protective  tariffs  to  increase.  Difficulties  in  the  way  of 
colonial  preference.  Industrial  and  agricultural  discontent 
in  England :  its  nature  and  causes.  The  peculiar  position  of 
England  in  regard  to  this  question.  Danger  of  the  protec- 
tion struggle  diverting  men's  minds  from  more  important 
problems. 

The  Outlook. — The  future  as  foreshadowed  by  the 
present  and  the  traditions  of  the  past.  British  aversion  to 
sudden  change  of  any  kind.  Yet  Englishmen  have  moved 
forward  far  more  quickly  during  the  past  century  than 
during  any  other  period,  and  this  fact  must  modify  conclu- 
sions. The  enormous  influence  of  the  railway,  telegraph, 
and  telephone,  and  the  unsettling  effect  of  such  influence. 
Essential  differences  between  the  Englishman  of  the  present 
day  and  the  Englishman  of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth 
centuries.  No  valid  reasons  for  fearing  that  the  undoubted 
increase  of  real  freedom  is  dangerously  in  advance  of  the 
development  of  the  faculty  of  self-restraint  and  power  to 
use  advantages  in  a  sober  and  thoughtful  spirit.  The  neces- 
sity for  cautious  judgment,  and  the  best  Anglo-Saxon  qual- 
ities in  face  of  present  dangers. 

Themes  for  Class  and  Essay  Work. 

(i)     Women's  Rights. 

(2)  The  part  played  by  the  Daily  Press  in  the  modem  social 
organism. 

(3)  Free  Trade  rcrsus  Protection  in  England. 

(4)  British  Imperialism. 

(5)  Modem  "State  Socialism,"  with  special  reference  to  the 
Problem  of  Labor  and  Capital. 

(6)  How  far  have  modem  conditions  changed  the  character  of 
the  British  people? 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 


of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


English  Novelists  of  the  Present 

Day 


1.  The  Modern  Xovel  and  Its  Evo-      4.  Comparison   of    Meredith   and 

lution.  Hardy  and  What  They  Rep- 

resent. 

2.  George  Meredith.  .    P^^^.  q^j^^^  ^^^^^.^  XoveHsts. 

3.  Thomas  Hardy.  6.  The  Popular  English  Novelists. 


By 

Louis  U.  Wilkinson,   B.  A. 

St.  John's  College,   Cambridge  University,  England 


No.  254  Price,  10  cents 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  .American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching 

111    South   Fifteenth  Street,   Philadelphia.   Pa. 


BOOKS  RECOMMENDED. 

George  Saintsbury.—  Nineteenth  Century  Literature. 

Richard  LeGallienne. — George  Meredith. 

Lionel  Johnson. — The  Art  of  Thomas  Hardy. 

Hannah  Lynch. — George  Meredith:  A  Study. 

The  Pilgrim's  Scrip:    or  Wit  and  Wisdom  of  George  Meredith. 

George  Meredith. — Diana  of  the  Crossways. 

George  Meredith. ^Harry  Richmond. 

George  Meredith. — The  Egoist. 

George  Meredith. — Lord  Onnont  and  his  Aminta. 

Thomas  Hardy.  — ^Tess  of  the  D'LTrbervilles. 

Thomas  Hardy. — Jude  the  Obscure. 

Thomas  Hardy. — The  Return  of  the  Native. 

Rudyard  Kipling. — The  Light  that  Failed. 

Mrs.  Humphry  Ward. — Robert  Elsmere. 

George  Moore. — Evelyn  Innes. 

Lucas  Malet. — The  History  of  Sir  Richard  Calmady. 


LECTURE  I. 
The  Modern  Novel  and  Its  Evolution. 

Fiction,  before  the  eighteenth  century,  a  great  force  in  England, 
but  never  cast  otherwise  than  in  dramatic  and  poetic  form.  Puritan 
cUshke  of  the  theatre  as  an  influence  tending  to  the  creation  of  the  idea 
of  the  novel.  Defoe :  how  far  he  may  be  considered  a  novelist.  Samuel 
Richardson,  and  the  series  of  "familiar  letters  on  the  useful  concerns 
in  common  life."  "Clarissa  Harlowe"  as  the  first  of  the  novels.  Its 
remarkable  delineation  and  analysis  of  female  character.  Richard- 
son's method  considered. 

The  work  of  Fielding,  Smollett  and  Sterne  considered  as  stages  in 
the  development  of  the  English  novel.  Main  features  of  contrast 
between  their  methods  and  those  of  modern  novelists.  Scott  and  the 
narrative  novel.  Jane  Austen:  her  eighteenth  century  style  and 
characterization.  Contrast  between  her  novels  and  those  of  Char- 
lotte Bronte.  The  latter  as  a  precursor  of  the  later  Victorian  novelists. 
Her  significance. 

The  relations  borne  by  Dickens  and  Thackeray  to  the  modern  novel. 
Tendency  of  both  to  present  types,  rather  than  individual  characters. 
Absence  of  that  minute  psychological  analysis  which  is  the  distinctive 
mark  of  the  great  authors  of  the  present  day. 

Social  influences  and  the  nineteenth  century  no-\el.  George  Eliot 
and  the  scientific  influence.  Her  essentially  modern  faculty  of  observa- 
tion. Her  sense  of  tragedy.  Maggie  Tulliver.  Her  limitations,  and 
the  present  obscuration  of  her  fame  considered. 

The  modern  novel,  as  reflecting  the  modern  outlook  on  life.  Instinc- 
tive preference  of  the  novelists  of  to-day  for  characters  in  ordinary 
and  familiar  circumstances.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  as  an  exception, 
but  an  exception  with  little  practical  influence  at  the  present  time. 
Realism  and  pessimism.  Religious  and  political  unrest.  The  novel 
essentially  a  method  of  expression  of  life  as  it  is:  high  idealism  as 
finding  its  articulation  rather  in  poetry  and  essays.  The  scope  of  the 
novel  now  clearly  defined.  Modern  intolerance  of  digressions  and 
moralizing  on  the  novelist's  part.  His  lesson  has  now  to  be  conveyed 
indirectly,  through  his  situations  and  his  characters.  Diminution  in 
bulk  of  the  modern  novel  partly  due  to  this  absence  of  author's 
comment,  and  partly  to  the  existence  of  a  reading  public  whose  spare 
time  is  definitely  limited.     Effect  of  the  large  number  of  novel-readers 

(3) 


at  the  present  day:  necessarily  inferior  intellectual  and  emotional 
taste  of  a  proportion  of  these,  and  its  result  as  creating  a  quite  unpre- 
cedented demand  for  inferior  novels.  Effect  of  modern  journalism 
on  the  novel.  The  modern  novel  considered  in  its  relations  to  modern 
liberalism  and  the  democratic  spirit. 

The  Future  of  the  Novel.  Significance  of  the  present  superiority  of 
prose-writers  over  verse-writers.  Will  the  highest  genius  of  the  twen- 
tieth century  express  itself  through  the  medium  of  the  novel,  rather 
than  of  the  poetry-  and  the  drama? 


LECTURE  II. 
George  Meredith. 

The  uniqueness  of  Meredith:  originality  of  his  method,  and  forceful- 
ness  of  his  grasp  on  life.  The  ^\-ide  extension  of  his  dramatic  scope. 
His  power  of  delineating  persons  of  all  ranks  and  all  characters,  his 
avoidance  of  types,  and  faculty  for  the  creation  of  striking  and  unusual 
personalities.  Instances.  His  style:  its  illuminating  brilliancy,  and 
masterly  incisive  force;  its  occasional  obscurity  due  perhaps  partly 
to  the  wilfulness  of  mannerism,  but  mainly  to  the  necessity  for  express- 
ing thoughts  which  elude  the  medium  of  language.  His  philosophy 
of  robust,  but  far  from  shallow,  optimism.  His  belief  in  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race.  The  inherent  liberalism  of  his  mind,  and  his  remarkable 
freedom  from  prejudice.  The  masculinity  of  his  intellectual  and 
emotional  calibre:  his  himior  and  pathos,  and  his  comprehension  of 
the  value  of  comedy.     Illustrations. 

Meredith  and  Browning.  "Meredith  is  a  prose  Browning."  This 
dictum  considered.  Meredith  the  more  English  of  the  two,  but  a 
participator  in  Browning's  cosmopolitanism.  (Vittoria.)  The  main 
point  of  resemblance  between  the  two  would  seem  to  be  their  compre- 
hensiveness of  obsen-ation  and  presentment,  their  graphic  mode  and 
language,  and  their  love  of  the  tangled  hurh'-burly  of  man's  existence. 
Their  complexity,  subtlety,  and  obscurity  compared.  Their  optim- 
ism. Comparison  of  the  two  as  influencing  forces  in  literature  and  in 
life. 

The  women  of  Meredith.  Diana  in  Diana  of  the  Crossuays.  Aminta 
and  Lady  Charlotte  Eglett  in  Lord  Onnont  and  his  Aminta.  Clare 
Middleton  in   The  Egoist.     Rhoda  and  Dahlia  Fleming.     Meredith's 


scope  in  the  delineation  of  female  character,  and  faculty  for  the  analysis 
of  feminine  motive.     Illustrative  quotations. 

The  male  characters.  Their  variety  and  reality.  Meredith's  school- 
boys. Harry  Richmond  in  bo3'hood  and  manhood.  The  young  men : 
Richard  Feverel,  Edv,-ard  and  Algernon  Blancove,  the  "wire  youth" 
Adrian.  Meredith's  insistence  on  the  humorous  aspect  of  his  charac- 
ters. The  men  of  the  novels.  Sir  Willoughby  Patterns  in  The  Egoist. 
Thomas  Redworth  in  Diana  of  the  Crossways.  Lord  Ormont  in  Lord 
Ormont  and  His  Atninta.  Illustrations  of  the  plebeian  character,  the 
bourgeois  character,  and  the  aristocratic  character,  in  Meredith. 

The  intellectual  search-light  of  Meredith,  and  its  effect  in  preventing 
him  from  depicting  any  character  as  perfectly  heroic  or  perfectly  vile. 
His  power  of  extracting  interest  from  the  apparently  uninteresting. 
His  aversion  to  sentimentality  or  the  melodramatic.  His  attitude 
towards  morality  and  religion.  Meredith  as  the  novelist  of  a  free 
people. 


LECTURE  III. 
Thomas  Hardy. 

Hardy  as  realist  and  pessimist.  Intensity  and  pathos  of  his  human 
feehng.  His  sombre  sense  of  Nature,  and  his  view  of  Nature  and 
man  as  akin,  blended  together,  and  sometimes  almost  indistinguishable. 
His  acute  sense  of  Form  and  imperfect  sense  of  Color.  His  limitations: 
lack  of  intellectual  brilliancy  and  variety,  impetus  and  forcible  virility. 
The  monotony  of  his  melancholy.  His  characters  exist  only  to  sufifer, 
and  that  suffering  is  foreshadowed  from  the  very  beginning.  Nature, 
as  seen  by  Hardy,  is  essentially  cruel,  and  Fortune  purposely  malign. 

His  sympathy  with  the  poor  peasantry,  and  power  of  endowing  such 
characters  with  genuine  human  vitaUty.  Far  from  the  Madding 
Crowd.  Wessex  Tales.  Hardy  primarily  the  depicter  of  rural  life  and 
rural  scenery  in  the  west  of  England.  His  outlook  on  life  more  Celtic 
than  Anglo-Saxon.  His  sense  of  humor  acute  within  certain  bound- 
aries {Life's  Little  Ironies),  but  not  sufficiently  comprehensive  to  affect 
his  pessimism  to  any  material  extent. 

Hardy's  view  of  the  suffering  of  humanity.  His  failure  to  realize 
the  true  value  of  suffering,  and  proneness  to  regard  it  as  meaningless. 
This  view  as  accounting  for  his  sardonic  scepticism.  Illustrations  of 
his  subdued  yet  striking  bitterness  and  tragic  sense  of  the  emptiness  of 


things.  His  failure  to  satisfy  many  of  the  moods  of  men:  his  tendency 
to  insist  unduly  on  one  aspect  of  life,  and  so  to  make  the  presentment 
of  that  aspect  lose  its  effectiveness  after  a  time.  His  love  of  fantastic 
efifect,  and  power  of  depicting  vivid  and  unusual  scenes. 

Hardy's  men  and  women.  Jude  the  Obscure  as  a  representative  of 
the  first:  Tess  of  the  d'Urber\illes  as  a  representative  of  the  second. 
Jude's  battle  mth  Fate;  the  tragedy  of  a  strong  man  broken  by  the 
relentlessness  of  circumstances.  The  character  of  Jude.  The  tragedy 
of  Tess,  as  consisting  in  her  helplessness  before  the  bitter  and  unde- 
served "slings  and  arrows"  of  her  fortune.  Her  character  and  the 
character  of  Angel  Clare.  The  Return  of  the  Native.  Eustacia.  Her 
character  contrasted  \\ith  that  of  Tess.  Her  roaming  nature,  fuU- 
bloodedness  and  impetuosity.  Tho  realistic  pathos  of  Mrs.  Yeobright. 
Relations  between  her  and  her  son.  Character  and  philosophy  of  the 
latter.  Venn  and  Wildeve.  Egdon  Heath:  its  peculiar  effectiveness 
as  a  background  for  the  whole  tragedy. 

The  Well-Beloved.  The  fantastic  element  in  the  storj'.  Introspec- 
tive temperament  of  the  hero.  This  novel  as  illustrating  Hardy's  view 
of  women. 

Features  of  some  other  novels  considered.  The  Mayor  of  Caster- 
bridge.     Life's  Little  Ironies.     Desperate  Remedies. 

Hardy's  fatal  defect  his  inability  to  see  the  whole  of  life.  His 
peculiar  and  undoubted  power  of  touching  the  deepest  wells  of  human 
feeling  of  a  certain  kind,  counterbalanced  by  absence  of  that  flexibility 
and  variety  which  makes  a  work  of  fiction  interesting  from  the  broadest 
human  point  of  view. 


LECTURE  IV. 

Comparison  of  Meredith  and  Hardy  and  What  They 

Represent. 

Superiority  of  these  two  authors  in  style,  thought,  and  emotion, 
to  other  living  English  novelists.  Many  and  wide  differences  between 
the  two;  scarcity  of  the  points  of  contact.  Meredith's  optimism  and 
Hardy's  pessimism:  sources  from  which  they  respectively  spring. 
Intellectual  refinement  and  subtlety  of  Meredith  contrasted  with  the 
simplicity  and  directness  of  Hardy:  this  as  seen  both  in  style  and 
matter.  The  former's  wider  vocabulary,  and  greater  power  over  words. 
Meredith's  genius  for  stimulating  the  mind,  contrasted  with   Hardy's 


genius  for  arousing  the  emotions.  Illustrations  from  both  authors, 
selected  also  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  Meredith  apprehends 
emotional  feelings  primarily  through  the  brain,  whereas  Hardy  appre- 
hends them  primarily  through  the  heart.  Hardy  as  the  arouser  more 
particularly  of  pity  and  the  romantic  sentiments;  Meredith  as  the 
arouser  of  thought  and  emotion  of  every  kind,  impartially.  Hardy 
as  the  representative  of  the  Celtic,  and  Meredith  of  the  Teutonic  race. 

The  peasant-characters  of  Meredith  and  Hardy  compared.  Hardy's 
superior  faculty  for  convincing  presentment  of  such  characters,  counter- 
balanced by  Meredith's  superior  sense  of  the  relation  of  the  lower 
classes  to  the  other  strata  of  society — their  place  in  the  great  frame- 
work of  the  whole.  Other  characterization  of  the  two  novelists  con- 
sidered. 

Respective  influences  of  Hardy  and  Meredith  in  England.  The 
philosophy  of  Meredith  as  being  more  in  tune  with  the  sentiments  of 
the  English  people  than  that  of  Hardy.  The  positive  force  of  the 
former  as  opposed  to  the  negative  and  unsatisfying  element  persuading 
the  latter's  works.  Brilliant  buoyancy  of  Meredith  as  contrasted  with 
the  sombre  depression  of  the  mind  and  spirit  of  Hardy. 

Lessons  taught  by  a  contemplation  of  these  two  authors.  The 
positive  belief  in  the  destiny  of  man  and  the  purpose  of  the  universe 
gives  a  completer  power  of  expression  and  a  larger  discernment  than 
the  negative  belief  in  the  hollowness  of  existence  and  the  futility  of 
effort.  Fatalism  as  a  creed  that  blinds  the  perceptions  and  paralyzes 
intellectual  energy.  Meredith  shows  us  the  genius  of  Comedy  as  ex- 
planatory of,  and  not  antagonistic  to,  the  genius  of  Tragedy:  Hardy 
presents  the  tragedy  of  suffering  and  disappointed  hope  and  leaves  its 
mystery  uninterpreted.  Past,  present  and  future  as  acquiring  a  fuller 
and  brighter  significance  through  the  genius  of  Meredith. 


LECTURE  V. 

Four  Other  English  Novelists. 

Kipling.  His  inherent  modernity  of  thought  and  speech  as  largely 
accounting  for  his  popularity.  His  genius  for  the  short  story.  His 
love  of  technical  knowledge.  His  power  of  vivid  presentment,  incisive- 
ness  and  clearness  of  utterance.  Tendency  to  coarseness,  brutality 
and  vulgarity:    lack  of  artistic  restraint  and  sense  of  beauty  of  color 


8 

and  form.  The  barbarian  and  the  animal  in  Kipling.  Yet  he  can 
never  be  called  degraded,  nor  is  his  teaching  degraded.  His  strong 
sense  of  the  elemental:  sympathy  with  forests,  seas  and  fierce  wild 
beasts.  The  Jungle  Book.  Kipling's  pictures  of  Anglo-Indian  life. 
His  succinctness  and  colloquialism.  The  sphere  in  which  he  moves 
rather  that  of  action  than  thought.  He  is  more  trenchant  than  pro- 
found, more  clever  than  vrise,  and  perhaps  may  proA-e  more  a  temporary 
than  a  permanent  force.  His  manliness  robust  and  resistful  in  quality, 
but  hardly  the  comprehensive  and  humane  manliness  of  the  complete 
masculine  genius.  His  sense  of  the  pathetic.  The  Light  That  Failed. 
Kipling's  -value  for  the  present  day. 

Mrs.  Humphry  Ward.  Her  main  interest  as  consisting  in  her 
proximity  to  the  problems  of  the  nineteenth  century,  social,  political, 
and  religious.  Robert  Elsmere.  Sir  George  Tressady.  'N'ividness  of  the 
presentment  of  the  restlessness  of  modern  thought.  Her  hold  on  the 
intellectual  men  and  women  of  the  present  day,  and  its  causes.  Her 
deep  earnestness,  and  consciousness  that  she  has  a  mission  to  fulfil. 
Effect  of  this  on  the  purely  artistic  value  of  her  work.  Her  want  of 
repose  and  want  of  variety  as  due  to  her  sense  of  the  half-solution  of 
many  grave  problems,  and  her  subordination  of  the  novel  as  an  instru- 
ment of  art  to  the  novel  as  an  instrument  of  education.  Thus  .she  pre- 
sents woman  primarily  in  her  modem  aspect,  and  neglects  many  of 
the  essential  characteristics  of  the  feminine  temperament.  Danger 
of  Mrs.  Ward's  devotion  to  modern  life  and  thought;  probabilitj^  that 
her  genius  vdW  lose  its  force  of  appeal  and  grow  obsolete  with  the  prog- 
ress of  time. 

George  Moore.  His  chief  value  as  con.sisting  in  his  appreciation  of 
many  of  the  delicate  relations  of  life,  his  ability  for  the  analysis  of 
character,  and  his  insight  into  some  aspects  of  the  natures  of  women. 
Evelyn  Innes.  Esther  Waters.  Imperfections  of  his  style,  often  going 
so  far  as  grammatical  inaccuracy.  His  inclination  towards  mere 
pruriency,  and  inability  to  reach  a  real  masculine  wholesomeness  and 
vigor  of  tone.  His  appreciation  of  music.  His  convincing  present- 
ments of  men  of  the  world  and  effective  contrasts  of  such  characters 
with  unsophisticated  country  girls.  His  feeling  towards  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  especially  with  regard  to  its  influence  in  Ireland.  His 
limitations,  and  superior  order  of  talent — scarcely  genius — within 
those  limitations. 

Lucas  Malet.  Her  inclination  towards  the  repulsive  and  the  unusual. 
The  History  of  Sir  Richard  Calmady.  Masculine  character  and  force 
of  her  work.  Her  faculty  for  creating  striking  situations  and  getting 
a  grip  of  the  interest  and  imagination  of  her  readers.  Undoubted 
blemishes  and  unnecessary  unpleasantnesses  which  mar  her  writing. 


9 

Her  characterization.  Development  of  her  powers  in  recent  years, 
and  promise  of  a  still  farther  development.  Absence  of  any  keen  inter- 
est in  social  po.sitions.  Her  realism  not  the  realism  of  the  best  type; 
many  of  Zola's  faults,  without  that  conviction  and  sincerity  of  purpose 
which  give  Zola's  work  its  value.  Qualities  raising  Lucas  Malet  above 
the  ordinary  level,  and  giving  her  the  relatively  high  position  which 
she  occupies  among  modern  novelists. 


LECTURE  VI. 
The  Popular  English  Novelists. 

Explanation  of  the  purpose  of  the  lecture.  The  detective  story, 
and  its  vogue.  Conan  Doyle's  creation  of  Sherlock  Holmes.  Guy 
Boothby,  Ranger  Gull,  and  the  sensational  writers.  The  danger  of 
purely  popular  authors  that  of  subordinating  their  individuality  to 
the  necessity  of  meeting  a  want  felt  by  the  public.  Consequent  lack 
of  spontaneousness  in  their  work.  The  public  as  the  real  author  of 
much  popular  fiction.  Modern  demand  for  melodramatic  excitement 
and  novelty  of  sensation  in  books — however  attained — at  expense  of 
character-delineation,  profundity  of  thought,  and  beauty  of  style. 
Influence  of  the  magazines  and  daily  press.  The  society  novel.  "Rita  ", 
E.  F.  Benson.  Robert  Hichens.  Slovenliness  of  much  of  their  work- 
manship, and  lack  of  depth  in  their  presentment  of  character;  their 
inclination  to  sentimentality  and  shallow  triteness  of  thought.  Some 
redeeming   features. 

Hall  Caine.  His  faculty  for  dealing  with  problems  of  the  day  in  a 
manner  that  makes  them  interesting  to  people  who  are  incapable  of 
properly  comprehending  them.  This  not  altogether  to  be  deplored. 
The  Christian.  Hall  Caine  as  a  parody  of  Mrs.  Humphry  Ward. 
Reasons  for  the  former's  greater  popularity  among  the  middle  and  lower 
classes. 

Marie  Corelli.  The  practically  universal  condemnation  of  her  work 
by  reviewers,  coupled  v.'ith  her  unrivalled  popularity  with  the  great 
mass  of  English  novel-readers.  Why  the  cause  of  her  vogue  is  worth 
finding  out.  That  vogue  largely  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
she  expresses,  with  undoubted  force  and  fluency,  the  opinions  and 
prejudices  of  the  average  half-educated  person,  who,  in  modern  life, 
has  to  be  very  definitely  taken  into  account.     Other  grounds  on  which 


10 

it  may  be  explained.  Her  hysterical  declamation,  incapacity  to  see 
anything  from  an  unbiased  standpoint,  melodramatic  sensationalism, 
want  of  sense  of  artistic  propriety,  and  slovenliness  in  grammar  and 
construction  of  sentences.  Her  fatal  "readableness."  Her  pose  as  a 
social  reformer  considered,  Significance  of  her  vogue,  as  indicating 
the  mental  and  emotional  condition  of  a  great  proportion  of  the  British 
public.  In  spite  of  this,  no  real  cause  for  pessimistic  reflection  in  con- 
nection with  Marie  Corelli's  popularity,  especially  in  view  of  the  present 
indications  of  its  ephemeral  character.  Definite  confinement  of  her 
influence  to  certain  sections  of  the  public.  A  few  illustrative  quota- 
tions from  her  works. 

The  mass  of  indifferent  literature  in  continual  circulation  in  Eng- 
land: its  causes  and  meaning.  Why  it  can  be  regarded  without  serious 
apprehension,  as  affecting  the  outlook. 


The  Class. — At  the  close  of  each  lecture  a  class  will  be  held  for 
questions  and  further  discussion.  All  are  urged  to  attend  it  and  to 
take  an  active  part.  The  subjects  discussed  will  ordinarily  be  those 
arising  from  the  lecture  of  the  same  evening.  In  centres  in  which  no 
Students'  A.ssociation  (see  below)  has  been  formed,  the  class  will 
afford  opportunity  for  the  lecturer  to  comment  on  the  papers  sub- 
mitted to  him. 

The  Weekly  Papers. — Every  student  has  the  privilege  of  writing 
and  sending  to  the  lecturer  each  week,  while  the  course  is  in  progress, 
a  paper  treating  any  theme  from  the  lists  given  at  the  end  of  each 
part  of  the  syllabus.  The  paper  should  have  at  the  head  of  the  first 
sheet  the  name  of  the  writer  and  the  name  of  the  centre.  Papers 
may  be  addressed  to  the  lecturer,  University  Extension,  111  South 
Fifteenth  street,  Philadelphia. 

The  Students'  Association. — Every  lecture  centre  will  be  greatly 
helped  in  its  work  by  the  formation  of  a  club  or  other  body  of  students 
and  readers  desirous  of  getting  the  stimulus  that  working  in  common 
affords.  This  Students'  Association  will  have  its  own  organization  and 
arrange  its  regular  programme,  if  possible,  both  before  and  after  as 
well  as  during  the  lecture  course.  The  lecturer  will  always  lend  his 
help  in  drawing  up  programmes,  and,  when  the  meeting  falls  on  the 
day  of  the  lecture,  will  endeavor  to  attend  and  take  part.  Much  of 
the  best  work  of  Extension  is  being  done  through  the  Students'  Asso- 
ciations. 

'  The  Examination. — Those  students  who  have  followed  the  course 
throughout  will  be  admitted  at  the  close  of  the  lectures  to  an  exami- 
nation under  the  direction  of  the  lecturer.  Each  person  who  passes 
the  examination  successfully  will  receive  from  the  American  Society 
for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching  a  certificate  in  testimony 
thereof. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 


of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Plain  Talks  on  American  History 


1.  The  Basis  of  Religious  Tolera-      4.  Beginnings   of    the    American 

tion  in  America.  Foreign  Polic5% 

«    -rrr    ^        ,  „         ,  „       ,  ,.  5.  The  United  States  on  a  War 

2.  Westward  Flow  of  Population.  „     i.- 

iootmg. 

3.  Federation  or  Confederation.  6.  The  United  States  To-morrow, 


By 

Bartlctt  B.  James,   M.  A.,  Ph.D. 


;sjo.  255  Price.   10  cents 

Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching. 

Ill  South  Fifteenth  Street.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


BOOKS. 

The  following  books  will  be  found  useful  as  works  of  reference  on  all 
topics  of  the  course,  and  to  avoid  repetition  they  will  not  be  given  in 
the  list  of  works  of  reference  at  the  end  of  each  lecture. 

Andrews.— The  Political  Development  of  Modern  Europe. 

SeignoboP.— Political  History  of  Europe  since  1814. 

Ripley. — Races  of  Europe. 

Mill. — International  Geography . 

Shaw. — Municipal  Government  in  Continental  Europe. 

Lowell. — Governments  and  Parties  in  Continental  Europe. 

The  course  will  be  prefaced  by  a  few  introductory  remarks  on  the 
modern  city  and  national  development,  and  the  lecturer  reserves  the 
right,  owing  to  the  length  of  some  of  the  subjects,  to  omit  such  phases 
or  topics  as  may  seem  advisal^le  at  the  time  of  each  lecture. 

At  the  close  of  each  lecture  a  class,  which  all  are  invited  to  attend, 
will  be  held  for  questions  and  discussion,  and  for  comments  upon 
points  of  interest  arising  in  the  essays  and  papers  submitted  to  the 
lecturer.  Tiie  topics  for  class  study  are  offered  as  suggestions  merely. 
One,  or  at  the  most  two,  will  be  found  sufficient  for  special  study, 
;ind  the  members  of  the  class  are  urged  to  submit  their  answers  to 
these  in  writing  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only,  and  leaving  a  broad 
margin  for  the  lecturer's  connnent  and  criticism. 


LECTURE  I. 
The  Basis  of  Religious  Toleration  in  America. 

I.  Church  and  State  in  Europe. — The  theocratic  idea.  Tolera- 
tion under  the  Roman  emperors.  Christianity  a  legal  religion.  Sub- 
jection of  the  church  to  the  empire.  Subjection  of  the  state  to  the 
church.  Ideas  contributed  by  the  Reformatio;!.  Puritanism  and 
Separatism. 

II.  The  American  Theocracy. — The  toleration  of  John  Robinson 
and  the  Separatists.  The  "social  compact"  of  the  Pilgruns  in  church 
and  state.  Principle  of  fellowship.  The  Massachusetts  colony  and 
charter.  Religious  prerogative  not  religious  liberty.  Difficulties 
with  sectaries.  Lapse  of  the  Puritan  church-state.  The  ecclesiasticism 
of  Connecticut.  The  New  Haven  theocracy.  The  derived  religious 
ideas  of  New  Hampshire. 

III.  Church  and  State  in  America. — Church  of  England  estal)lish- 
ment  in  Virginia.  State  of  religion  and  morals.  Puritans  in  Virginia. 
Laws  against  dissent.  The  Toleration  Act.  Fall  of  the  establishment. 
Anglican  Church  in  the  Carolinas.  State  of  dissenting  churches. 
Religious  destitution.  Act  of  1704.  Establishment  only  nominal  in 
North  Carolina,  three-fourths  of  the  population  opposed  to  it  in  South 
Carolina. 

IV.  Changing  Establishment.s. — Care  of  religion  in  New  York  under 
the  Dutch.  Authority  of  the  company  o\'er  churches  and  ministers. 
Act  against  conventicals.  Effect  of  English  conquest  in  1664.  Return 
of  Dutch  to  power.  Fall  of  reformed  establishment.  Religious  liberty 
proclaimed  by  James  II.  Nondescript  English  establishment. 
Church  of  England  never  established  in  New  Jersey.  Georgia  under 
Oglethorpe — religious  freedom  for  all  "except  Papists." 

V.  Religious  Freedom. — Attitude  of  Lord  Baltimore.  Disabili- 
ties and  penalties  of  Non-Trinitarians  in  Maryland.  Maryland  free  of 
religious  persecutions  when  principles  of  its  founder  were  in  force. 
Penn's  "holy  experiment."  Brief  enfranchisement  of  Romanists. 
Pennsylvania  narrower  than  other  colonies.  Roger  Williams  expelled 
from  Massachusetts,  settles  at  Narragansett.  Heterogeneous  elements 
in  Rhode  Island.     Full  religious  hberty.     Liberty  and  license. 

VI.  The  American  Principle  of  Religious  Liberty. — Effect  of 
Revolutionary  movements  upon  ideas  of  toleration.  Principle  of 
religious  liberty  coordinate  in  development  with  that  of  civil  freedom. 

(3) 


state  Constitutions  and  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  Defi- 
nition of  the  American  principle.  Not  simply  freedom  of  conscience. 
Liberty  not  toleration.  Relation  to  civil  law.  Mutual  limitation  of 
church  and  state  in  America. 

BOOKS  RECOMMENDED. 
The  Rise  of  Religious  Liberty  in  America.     Cobb. 
*Bacon's  American  Christianity. 
Felt's  Ecclesiastical  History  of  New  England. 
*Walker's  History  of  The  Congregationalists. 
*Schaff's  Religious  Liberty.     (Pub.  Am.  His.  Ass.  1886-7.) 
Anderson's  History  of  the  Colonial  Church. 
Weeden's  Social  and  Economic  History  of  New  England. 
*Baird's  Religion  in  America. 
Johnston's  History  of  Connecticut. 
Barstow's  History  of  New  Hampshire. 
*Cobb's  Story  of'the  Palatinates. 
Corwin's  History  of  the  Reformed  Church. 
McMaster's  History  of  Maryland. 
*McSherry  and  James's  History  of  Marj-land.  (1904.) 
*Stevens'  History  of  Georgia. 

TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

(a)  Compare  and  contrast  religious  toleration  in  Massachusetts, 
freedom  of  conscience  in  Rhode  Island  and  religious  freedom  in  Mary- 
land; endeavor  to  trace  to  their  source  the  characteristic  points  of 
difference.  (6)  Make  clear  the  distinction  between  Separatists  and 
Puritans;  show  how  they  merged  and  with  what  result,  (r)  Make  a 
study  of  the  Riritans  in  Maryland  with  respect  to  the  practice  of  tolera- 
tion, {d)  Particularize  the  religious  system  of  Georgia  under  Ogle- 
thorpe, (e)  How  does  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  provide 
for  the  separation  of  Church  and  State  and  does  this  bear  upon  the 
question  of  reading  the  Scriptures  and  using  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  the 
public  schools,  and  if  so,  how? 


LECTURE  II, 
Westward  Flow  of  Population. 

I.  The  Appalachian  Barrier. — A  mountain  system  is  alwaj-s  a 
barrier.  Inland  waterways,  the  arteries  of  continents.  The  Appala- 
chian range  and  valley.  Indian  and  buffalo  paths.  Passes  and  trade 
routes.  Early  passage  of  the  Appalachians.  The  northern  routes 
and  the  southern  routes.  Western  highways  and  distribution  of  popu- 
lation. 

II.  Causes  of  the  Westward  Flow. — In  good  times  westward  flow 


slow,  in  bad  times  rapid.  "The  long  period  of  distress  which  followed 
the  Revolution  and  continued  till  after  the  adoption  of  the  Constitu- 
tion sent  the  people  westward  in  such  numbers  as  threatened  to  depopu- 
late the  Atlantic  States."  Prosperity  through  the  outbreak  of  the 
French  Revolution.  The  opening  of  the  French  and  Dutch  West 
Indian  ports  to  neutral  commerce,  strengthens  the  seaboaid's  hold  upon 
population  by  causing  flush  times.  After  1791  movement  of  popula- 
tion towards  the  northwest  of  the  Ohio  ceases,  but  flow  steadily  increases 
towards  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  Opening  of  Mississippi  River  to 
trade  greatly  accelerates  vrestward  movement.  Pennsylvania,  Mary- 
land, Virginia  and  North  Carolina  the  only  participants  in  the  early 
westward  flow.     Provincial,  state  and  national  land  warrants. 

III.  Environment  of  the  Early  Tr.vns- Allegheny  Settlements. 
— The  procession  of  pioneers.  Plaints  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia. 
Effect  of  migration  on  seaboard  to-mis.  The  drain  tapping  Europe. 
The  making  of  the  American.  Alabama  resorted  to  by  southern 
emigrants.  The  country  faced  about.  Era  of  internal  improvement. 
The  steamboat  on  the  Mississippi.  Turnpike  and  stage  coach.  New 
routes  of  transportation.  Contest  for  western  trade.  Inducements 
to  manufactures. 

IV.  National  Problems  Arising  from  the  ^YESTERN  Settle- 
ments.— The  Ohio  River  and  its  tributaries  afford  easy  access  to  the 
natural  market  of  New  Orleans.  The  wide  sweep  of  commerce.  The 
valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  Spanish  claims.  The  Jay  treaty.  Disaf- 
fection along  the  western  frontier  and  its  causes.  Wilkinson  and 
Clark.     Pinckney's  treaty  of  1795. 

V.  International  Relations  Centering  in  the  Western  Settle- 
ments.— For  twenty  years  after  the  treaty  of  1783  the  Mississippi  was 
accepted  as  the  western  boundry  of  the  United  States.  Latin  and 
Saxon  constituents  of  population  along  the  Mississippi.  Attraction 
of  the  trans-Mississippi  country.  Western  expansion  and  unity  of  the 
river  valley  make  for  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  by  the  Ignited  States. 
Inherent  and  secondary  reasons  for  purchase  of  Louisiana  territory. 
Designs  upon  New  Orleans.  Views  of  Jefferson  with  regard  to  pro- 
posed French  pvirchase.  Napoleon's  dream  of  a  colonial  empire. 
Retrocession  of  Louisiana  to  France.  Purchase  of  east  Florida. 
Federal  control  of  Louisiana  stimulates  westward  movement.  Oppo- 
sition to  the  acquisition  in  the  middle  states  and  New  England.  State 
of  the  West  in  1830. 

BOOKS  RECOMMENDED. 

Justin  Winsor's  The  Westward  Movement 
*Schaler's  L^nited  States  of  America. 


0 

*F  J  Turner's  Western  State-Making  in  the  Revolutionary  Era. 

*F  J.  Turner's  The  Significance  of  the  Frontier  m  American  History. 

Monette's  History  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  _ 

E.  Coues'  History  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition. 

*Roosevelt's  Winning  of  the  West. 

*Shaler's  Nature  and  Man  in  America. 

Parkman's  The  Oregon  Trail. 

Bancroft's  History  of  California. 

*Irving's  Bonneville. 

*E.  E.  Spark's  Expansion  of  the  American  People. 

TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

(o)  Discuss  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and  the  Allegheny  Mountains 
as  factors  influencing  or  retarding  western  settlement,  (b)  Make  a 
study  of  trade  relations  between  the  eastern  centers  and  western 
settlements,  (c)  What  was  the  Jav  Treatv,  also  Pinckney's  Treaty 
of  1795?  {d)  Sketch  in  brief  the  history  of  the  Louisiana  territory. 
(e)  In  agreeing  to  the  sale  oi  Louisiana  territory  was  Napoleon 
prompted  by  magnanimity  to  the  Ignited  States,  enmity  to  England, 
or  was  it  simply  a  good  deal  in  real  estate  for  him?  After  all,  was  it 
the  great  stroke  of  American  diplomacy  which  it  is  commonly  accounted 
to  be? 


LECTURE  III. 
Federation  or  Confederation. 

I.  Colonial  Attempts  at  Union. — The  New  England  Confederation. 
Franklin's  plan  of  Union.  Character  of  first  Continental  Congress. 
Franklin's  proposed  "United  Colonies  of  North  America."  The 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

II.  Difficulties  Under  Articles  of  Confederation. — Adoption 
of  the  articles  and  their  general  nature.  Difficulties  in  the  way  of 
union.  Weakness  of  the  central  government.  Territorial  di.sputes 
between  colonies.  Lesson  from  Shay's  Rebellion.  Foreign  com- 
mercial regulations.  Interstate  commerce.  Decline  of  prestige  o 
Congress.  Hamilton  on  the  insufficiency  of  the  Articles  of  Confedera- 
tion. 

III.  The  Constitutional  Convention  of  1787. — Personnel  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention.  Contest  between  the  small  and  large 
states.  States  Rights  and  national  government.  The  Virginia  plan. 
The  Paterson  or  New  Jersey  plan.  Hamilton's  plan.  Threatened 
withdrawal  of  small  states.  The  slavery  compromises.  Restrictions 
of  states.     Powers  of  the  President.     Powers  of  the  Supreme  Court. 


Proportional  representation  in  the  House,  equality  of  vote  in  Senate. 
The  Constitution  signed. 

IV.  Ratification  of  the  Constitution. — Feeling  throughout 
the  states.  Federalists  and  anti-Federalists.  Feeling  in  Congress. 
Literary  criticisms.  The  "Fabius"  papers.  Local  reasons  for  oppo- 
sition. A  Southern  Confederacy  proposed  in  Virginia.  The  accom- 
plished Union. 

V.  Early  Causes  of  Strife  Between  the  States  and  the  United 
States. — Contention  between  single  states  or  groups  of  states  and  the 
general   government : — 

(1)  The  WTiiskey  RebeUion  of  1794. 

Difference  of  \iews  between  Federalists  and  Republicans  as  affecting 
foreign  sympathies: — 

(1)  Federalists  lean  to  England,  Republicans  to  France. 

(2)  The  occasion  of  the  alien  and  sedition  laws. 

(3)  The  Virginia  resolution  of  1798  and  the  Kentucky  resolution  of 
1799. 

(4)  The  association  of  the  states  a  contractual  relation? 

Verging  on  war  with  France,  in  1798.  War  with  England  to  protect 
rights  as  neutrals.  The  Essex  Junta  in  Massachusetts  arises  in  antici- 
pation of  a  dissolution  of  the  Union.  The  government  exhausted. 
Position  of  Massachusetts  with  regard  to  state  militia.  The  Hartford 
Convention.  The  principle  of  States  Rights  not  yet  sectionalized. 
The  principle  of  state  sovereignty  in  the  matter  of  debt.  The  Repub- 
lican party  develops  the  central  authority.  The  rise  of  the  Whig  party 
stood  for  a  more  forceful  expression  of  the  national  impulse: — 

(1)  A  national   bank. 

(2)  Protection  of  home  industries. 

(3)  Internal  improvements. 

Era  of  conflict  Ijetween  central  authority  and  States  Rights  fully 
launched  along  broad  lines. 

BOOKS  RECOMMENDED. 
Epochs  of  American  History.     The  Formation  of  the  Union,  1750- 
1829.     Hart. 

Toqueville's  Democracy  in  America. 

*Bryce's  The  American  Commonwealth 

*Woodrow  Wilson's  The  State. 

Scudder  (editor)  the  American  Commonwealths. 

Giddings'  Democracy  and  Empire. 

*Curtis's  Constitutional  History  of  the  United  States. 

TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 
(a)  Give  a  full  account  of  the  New  England  Confederacy  and  state 
in  what  particulars  Massachu.setts  was  paramount,     (b)  Give  the  limi- 


8 

tations  of  the  old  Confederacy,  (c)  What  were  the  Fabius  papers  and 
state  their  relation  to  the  controversy  of  the  day?  (d)  "What  was  the 
Whiskey  Rebellion  and  what  did  it  signify?  (e)  What  is  meant  when 
we  say  that  the  union  of  the  states  is  a  contractual  relation?  (/) 
Where  would  you  say  sectionalism  was  first  shown?  (g)  Give  an 
account  of  the  rise  of  the  Whig  Party  and  state  the  salient  facts  of  its 
earliest  platform. 


LECTURE  IV. 
Beginnings  of  the  American  Foreign  Policy. 

I.  The  Birth  of  the  Republic. — Introductory — the  spirit  of 
American  diplomacy.  The  diplomatic  service  of  the  colonies.  Silas 
Deane,  the  first  foreign  representative.  The  character  and  service  of 
Benjamin  Franklin,  commissioner.  Negotiations  with  the  French 
court.  Reception  of  French  minister  by  Congress.  Franklin,  sole 
minister  to  France.  State  of  Northern  Europe.  Adams'  treaty  with 
Holland.  Effort  of  American  representatives  abroad  to  secure  recogni- 
tion of  independence.     Peace  negotiated  with  Great  Britain. 

II.  Diplomacy  Under  the  CoNrEDER.\.TiON. — The  peace  commis- 
sioners go  beyond  instruction  of  Congress.  Preliminary  treaty  of  1782 
made  the  permanent  treaty  of  1783.  The  Hamburg  letter.  Religious 
questions  in  the  diplomatic  field.  Treaty  relations  established  with 
foreign  powers.  The  first  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs.  Defects  of 
the  Confederation  cause  foreign  embarrassment.  The  Constitutional 
Convention  and  its  work  in  relation  to  the  Department  of  State. 

III.  Initial  Period  of  the  Nation's  Diplo.macy. — Jefferson  and 
Hamilton  on  the  Constitution.  The  Frenau  incident.  Consular 
treaty  with  France.  Washington  and  Genet.  Relations  with  France. 
The  Jay  Treaty  of  1794  with  Great  Britain.  The  X  Y  Z  correspond- 
ence during  Adams'  administration. 

IV.  American  Diplomacy  Established  and  Respected. — The 
democracy  of  Jefferson.  James  Madison,  Secretary  of  State.  Negotia- 
tions for  purchase  of  Louisiana.  Effect  of  events  in  Europe  upon  nego- 
tiations. The  Louisiana  Purchase  adds  greatly  to  the  prestige  of  this 
country.  Constitutional  questions  involved  in  the  acquisition.  Jeffer- 
son's difficulties  with  foreign  ministers.  Participation  of  foreign  minis- 
ters in  Burr's  conspiracy.  Questions  confronting  Madison  as  President. 
Matters  at  issue  in  the  War  of  1812.     Diplomatic  questions  under 


9 

Monroe.  The  disarmament  of  the  Great  Lakes.  The  Northeast 
fisheries.  Acquisition  of  Florida.  The  recognition  of  the  Spanish 
American  republics  and  the  Monroe  Doctrine.  Department  of  State 
occupying  a  dignified  position  and  no  longer  a  stepping  stone  to  the 
Presidency. 

BOOKS  RECOMMENDED. 

A    Century    of    American    Diplomacy.     Foster. 

*Encyclopedia  Brittanica  article,  "Diplomatics". 

*Trescot's  Diplomacy  of  the  Revolution. 

*  Wharton's  Diplomatic  Correspondence  of  the  Revolution 

Gibb's  Administrations  of  Washington  and  Adams. 

Lodge's  Federalist. 

*Bancroft's  History  of  the  Constitution. 

Hermann's  The  Louisiana  Purchase. 

*Schuyler's  American  Diplomacy. 

^Richardson's  Messages. 

TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

(a)  What  was  the  nature  of  Silas  Deane's  mission  to  France  and 
what  were  some  of  the  things  he  accomplished?  (b)  WTiat  gave 
Franklin  his  prestige  at  the  French  court,  how  was  he  regarded  by  the 
French  people,  and  how  did  he  feel  towards  the  proposition  for  a  war 
of  the  American  colonies  with  the  home  government?  (c)  What 
were  his  services  to  his  country  as  commissioner?  (d)  The  reputed 
traditional  friendship  of  Russia  for  the  United  States  having  been 
called  into  question  by  Mr.  Straus,  a  member  of  The  Hague  Tribunal, 
what  would  you  say  was  the  real  attitude  of  Catherine  of  Russia 
towards  the  rebellious  colonies  in  their  war  for  liberty?  (e)  What 
was  the  nature  of  the  X  Y  Z  correspondence?  (/)  State  in  brief  the 
facts  of  Burr's  conspiracy,  (g)  What  were  the  circumstances  of  the 
promulgation  of  the  Monroe  Doctrine?  Has  that  tenet  validity  in 
international  law?  (/()  What  would  you  say  was  the  present  value 
and  future  destinv  of  the  Monroe  Doctrine? 


LECTURE  Y 

The  United  States  on  a  War  Footing. 

I.  The  Military  Basis  During  the  Colonial  and  Formative 
Periods. — The  military  organizations  of  the  colonies.  The  Massa- 
chusetts idea  of  the  militia.  Militia  used  to  repel  Indian  attacks. 
Military  co-operation  not  so  much  needed  in  the  middle  and  southern 
colonies  as  in  New  England.     The  "Blessing  of  the  Bay"  and  its  suc» 


10 

cessors  in  Xew  England  waters.  The  American  Vikings.  The  irregu- 
lar naval  arm  of  the  colonies  in  the  Revolutionar}-  War.  The  American 
regular  fleet.  The  importance  of  the  sea  fights  in  the  War  of  1812. 
The  creation  of  a  war  department.  The  creation  of  a  na^-^•  department. 
The  two  wings  of  the  servnce. 

II.  The  Military  Basis  During  the  Civil  War. — State  of  pre- 
oaredness  North  and  South.  Mobilization  and  organization.  Branches 
of  the  service.  Armies  on  the  field.  Xa^^es  North  and  South.  The 
evolution  of  the  ironclad  ship.  Contributions  of  the  Civil  War  to 
military  science.  The  outcome  of  the  war  in  relation  to  the  mihtar>- 
armament  of  the  nation. 

III.  The  :Military  Basis  Dcrixg  the  Spaxish-Americax  War.— 
The  armv  on  a  peace  footing.  A  navy  of  antiquated  ships.  The 
Monroe  Doctrine  and  its  influence  in  the  creation  of  the  new  navy. 
The  mobilization  of  the  citizen  soldien,-  for  the  war  with  Spain.  The 
naval  reserves.  The  new  nav-}'  in  action.  A  naval  war.  Battles  of 
Manila  and  Santiago.  America  a  world  power.  State  of  mihtarj' 
and  naval  establishments. 

BOOKS  RECOMMENDED. 

The  Standard  general  histories. 

*Ingersoll's  The  History  of  the  War  Department. 

*Nelson's  The  -\nny  of  the  United  States. 

*Kelly's  The  American  Navy. 

Spears'  History  of  our  American  Navy. 

*Morris'  The  American   Navy. 

Marvin's  .\inerican  Merchant   ^L1riIle. 

*Long's  The  New  Anipri-  an  Navy. 

TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

(a)  Give  an  account  of  the  New  England  minute  men.  (h)  Give 
an  aceoimt  of  Clailx)nie"s  RebeUion  in  Marviand.  (r)  What  do  we 
mean  by  the  phrase  "The  American  Vikings?"  (</)  Give  the  nature 
and  approximately  the  number  of  the  ships  bearing  Continental  com- 
missions which  went  out  from  the  port  of  Salem  during  the  Rcvolu- 
tionarv-  War.  (e)  \\'hat  forces  did  Wa.shington  find  at  Cambridge 
when  he  assumed  command  of  the  American  army?  How  was  that 
army  organized?  How  did  the  several  colonies  feel  towards  con- 
tributing men  and  funds  for  the  war?  (/)  Name  some  of  the  principal 
naval  actions  of  the  Civil  War.  (h)  What  were  some  of  the  contri- 
butions to  militarv-  .science  by  the  great  land  battles?  {()  Was  Gettys- 
burg Lee's  blunder?  (f)  What  effect  had  the  Civil  War  upon  the 
nations  of  Europe  in  relation  to  our  status?  (A)  Give  an  account  of 
the  creation  of  the  new  navy,  (f)  ^Miat  is  the  countrv's  present 
naval  program?  (m)  What  is  the  nature  of  the  Dick  Militia  Bill? 
(n)  What  lessons  were  derived  by  this  countrv-  from  the  Spanish- 
American  War  and  how  has  it  affected  our  destinv? 


11 

Paris  the  Pioxeer  Modern  City  of  Europe,  an  Example  to  Other 
Capitals. 

Paris  and  the  Third  Republic. 

TOPICS  FOPt  CLASS  STUDY. 
Paris  in  1789. 

What  truth  in  the  statement  that  "Paris  is  France"? 
The  city's  patronage  of  art. 
Building  regulations  of  Paris. 
"Paris  the  most  beautiful  city  in  the  world." 

WORKS  FOR  SPECIAL  REFERENCE. 

Babeau:   Paris  in  1789. 

Du  Camp:    Paris. 

Grant  Allen:    Paris. 

Bodlej' :    France. 

Duruy:   History  of  France. 

Seignobos:  A  Political  Historj' of  Contemporary  Europe.     (Chapters 

5,  6,  7,  and  27  deal  with  France  and  are  exceptionally  good.) 
Victor  Hugo:    Ninety-Three. 
Felix  Gras:  The  Reds  of  the  Midi. 
Zola:    Paris. 
The  works  of  Taine,  De  Tocqueville,  Von  Sybel,  Stephens,  Sorel  and 

Aulard. 


12 

country  be  warranted  in  holding  the  Chinese  government  responsible 
for  the  losses  resulting?  Regard  this  question  as  typical  of  a  number 
which  are  bound  to  arise  with  our  expanding  commerce  in  the  East, 
(o)  In  considering  the  growth  of  nationalism  would  you  regard  the 
assumption  bv  the  general  government  of  the  powers  to  pass  a  national 
divorce  law  and  a  national  insurance  law  as  without  constitutional 
warrant?  (h)  What  would  you  say  to  the  proposition  that  if  England 
and  France  are  to  enter  into  alliance  with  the  United  States  for  the  secur- 
ing of  the  world's  peace  they  must  first  subscribe  to  the  Monroe  Doctrine, 
and  substantiate  your  views?  (i)  Would  you  say  that  the  existence 
of  The  Hague  as" an  international  judicial  tribunu.  does  or  does  not 
justify  the  belief  that  there  will  be  created  an  international  legis- 
lature? {])  State  what  vou  believe  to  be  some  of  the  dangers  and 
some  of  the  opportunities  which  will  follow  upon  the  new  position 
of  the  United  States  as  a  world  power? 

Note.— The  first  book  hi  each  list  will  be  found  most  serviceable. 
The  books  starred  *  may  be  regarded  as  next  in  value.  This  will  be 
understood  as  applying  to  the  needs  of  this  course. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 

Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Six  European  Capitals: 
Studies  in  National  Development 

1.  St.  Petersburg.  4.  Rome. 

2.  Berlin.  5.  Berne. 

3.  Vienna.  6.  Paris. 


By 

William  E.  Lingelbach,  Ph.  D. 

Assistant  Professor  of  Modern  European  History  at  the  University 

of  Pennsylvania. 


No.  256  Price,   10  cents 

Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching 

HI  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


BOOKS. 

The  foUowng  books  will  be  found  useful  as  works  of  reference  on  all 
topics  of  the  course,  and  to  avoid  repetition  they  will  not  be  given  in 
the  list  of  works  of  reference  at  the  end  of  each  lecture. 

Andrews. — The  Political  Development  of  Modern  Europe. 

Seignobos. — Political  History  of  Europe  .since  1814. 

Ripley. — Races  of  Europe. 

Mill. — International  Geography. 

Shaw. — Municipal  Government  in  Continental  Europe. 

Lowell. — Govermnents  and  Parties  in  Continental  Europe. 

The  course  will  be  prefaced  l>y  a  few  introductory  remarks  on  the 
modern  city  and  national  development,  and  the  lecturer  reserv'es  the 
right,  owing  to  the  length  of  some  of  the  subjects,  to  omit  such  phases 
or  topics  as  may  seem  advisalile  at  the  time  of  each  lecture. 

At  the  close  of  each  lecture  a  class,  which  all  are  invited  to  attend, 
will  be  held  for  questions  and  discussiou,  and  for  comments  upon 
jioints  of  interest  arishig  in  the  essays  and  papers  submitted  to  the 
lecturer.  The  topics  for  class  study  are  ofiferod  as  suggestions  merely. 
One,  or  at  the  most  two,  will  l>o  found  .sufficient  for  special  study, 
;ind  the  members  of  the  class  arc  urged  to  .submit  their  answers  to 
tlu'sc  in  writuig  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only,  and  leaving  a  broad 
margin  for  the  lecturer's  comment  and  criticism. 


LECTURE  I. 

St.  Petersburg:  Autocracy  and  Reform. 

"A  capital  where  men  arranged  things  and  consequently  bungled 
them.  The  great  Tsar  Peter  slapped  his  Imperial  court  on  the  marshy 
shore  of  the  Neva,  where  he  could  look  westward  into  civilization  and 
watch  with  the  jealous  eyes  of  an  intelligent  barbarian  the  doings  of 
his  betters." — John  Hay. 

Moscow  AND  Old  Russia. 

Ruric,  Northmen  and  Slavs. 

The  Eastern  Empire  and  the  adoption  of  Christianity. 

Two  centuries  and  a  half  of  Tartar  domination. 

Rise  of  Moscow.     "The  new  Rome  which  is  Moscow." — Travels  of 

Macarius. 
The  Kremlin. 
The  Life  of  Moscow. 

Peter  the  Great;  the  Making  of  St.  Petersburg, 

"A  window  looking  out  upon  Europe."     Most    northerly  capital  in 
Europe;     some    remarkable    consequences;     unprepossessing   site 
of  St.  Petersburg.     Ambitions  of  Catherine  II  to  obtain  a  third 
capital  for  the  Russian  Empire  in  Constantinople. 
The  Neva— "The  Thames  "  of  Russia. 
The  Nevski  Prospect — "The  sumptuous  distances." 
St.  Isaac's  Cathedral,  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  the  Imperial  Palace, 

the  column  to  Alexander  II.,  and  the  Hermitage. 
The  new  Capital  in  the  National  development. 

"Before   the  new  capital  Mo.scow  bent  her  head,  as  an  imperial 
widow  bows  before  a  young  Tsaritsa." 

The  People  and  Territory  op  Russia. 

General  characteristics;    illiteracy  and  superstition  of    the    masses. 
Types  and  different  nationalities. 
Expansion — geographically   and   industrially. 

Russification;    "Russia  not  a  Nation,  Russia  is  a  World,"  Poland 
and  Finland,  Siberia  and  Exile. 

The  Political  System. 

An  autocracy;  the  will  of  the  Tsar  the  supreme  law. 
The  Russian  Church.     Icons. 
The  bureaucracy  ;  its  power. 
Nicholas  II.  and  reform. 

(3) 


SUBJECTS  FOR  CLASS  WORK. 

Peter  the  Great  and  his  work. 

The  capitals  of  Russia. 

Russification  in  Europe. 

Russian  Expansion  in  Europe  and  Asia. 

Position  of  Russia  in  the  Far  East  before  the  Russo-Japanese  War. 

WORKS  OF  REFERENCE. 

Rambaud:    History  of  Russia. 

Leroy-BeauHeu :   The  Empire  of  the  Tsars  and  the  Russians. 

Wallace:   Russia.     (The  second  edition  is  especially  good.) 

Norman:    All  the  Russias. 

Brandes:    Poland. 

Kennan:    Siberia  and  the  Exile  System. 

Noble:    Russia  and  the  Russians. 

Kovalevsky:    Russian  Political  Institutions. 

Asakawa:    The  Russo-Japanese  Conflict;  its  Causes  and  Issues. 


LECTURE  11. 

Berlin:  Imperialism  and  Socialism. 

Historical. 

Hohenzollerns  and  Brandenburg. 

The  Growth  of  Prussia. 

Steps  in  the  founding  of  the  German  Empire. 

Germany's  favored  position  in  central  Europe. 

Modern  German  Cities. 

Their  rapid  growth. 

Structure  of  municipal  govenunent. 

"Municipal  life  in  Germany  has  been  reduced  to  a  science," 

Men  of  eminence  in  science,  history,  economics  and  sociology  sought 

for  the  municipal  councils. 
High  character  of  these  bodies. 


>> 


Berlin;    the  "Best  Governed  City   in   Europe.' 

The  well-being  of   the    community  the    chief   end — business    versus 

politics. 
Extensive  functions  of  the  municipality. 
Municipal  socialism — attitude  toward  natural  monopolies  of  supply. 


5 

Berlin  water  supply,  drainage,  garbage,  street  cleaning,  sewage 
farms,  etc.,  gas  and  electric  plants,  street  railways  and  rapid 
transit  system,  housing  problem,  municipal  savings  bank,  pawn- 
shops and  insurance. 

Public  Parks,  thoroughfares  and  places  of  attraction. 

The  beauty  of  Berlin. 

The  Thiergarteu  and  the  Sieges  Allee. 

Unter  den  Linden — the  royal  palace,  the  museums,  the  University, 
etc. 

Potsdam  and  Sans  Souci. 

The  German  City  as  the  Expression  of  the  Transformation  of 
Germany  Since  1870. 

Bismarck  and  agricultural  Germany. 
"  Blood  and  Iron"  begets  militarism. 
William  II.  and  industrial  Germany. 
Imperialism  versus  Social  Democracy. 

SUBJECTS  FOR  CLASS  WORK. 
The  Great  Elector  and  his  work. 
Frederick  the  Great  and  the  fight  for  existence. 
Queen  Louise  and  Napoleon  I — Tilsit  and  the  humiliation  of  Prussia 
Bismarck   and    Napoleon    III. 
Social  Democracy  in  Germany. 
Germany's  commercial  expansion. 

WORKS  OF  REFERENCE. 

Von  Sybel:  The  Founding  of  the  German  Empire. 

Henderson:    Short  History  of  Germany. 

Whitman:    Imperial  Germany 

Baring  Gould:    Germany. 

Bismarck:    The  Man  and  the  Statesman.     (Autobiography.) 

Schierbrand:    The  Welding  of  a  World  Power. 

"The  Best  Governed  City  in  Europe."     Harpers',  April,  1901. 

Goodnow:   Political  Science  Quarterly.     Dec. -March,  1900-1901. 

Norton:   In  and  Around  Berlin. 

Ely:    Socialism  in  France  and  Germaov. 


LECTURE  III. 

Vienna:  Dualism  and  Federalism. 

The  People  and  Lands  of  Austria-Hungary. 

"No  other  country  has  so  man}^  diverse  races  and  languages.' 
The  great   Danube  basin. 


6 

Landmarks  in  the  history  of  the  Hapsburg  lands. 

Original  home  of  the  Hapsburgs. 

The  Hapsburgs  and  the  Swiss. 

The  Hapsburgs  and  Bohemia  and  Hungaiy. 

The  union  of  Austria  and  Hungary.     Dualism  triumphs  over  Fed- 
eralism in  1867. 
Francis  Joseph  and  his  Patriarchal  relation  to  the  people. 
Survival  of  the  past  seen  in  many  ways. 

Vienna. 

Municipal  self-government  and  its  incidents  in  Vienna. 

Old  Vienna. 

Its  transformation. 

The  most  remarkable  example  "of  a  splendidly  appointed  metropo- 
lis rapidly  evolved  through  the  adoption  of  modern  ideas  and 
principles." — Albert  Shaw, 

The  demolition  of  the  fortifications  and  use  made  of  the  space. 

The  wonderful  Ringstrasse;  general  character  and  plan  of  the  new 
city;  magiuficent  buildings,  the  Votive  church,  the  University, 
the  Rathaus,  parliament  buildings,  theatres,  museums,  and  cafes. 

The  inner  city's  transformation. 

The  parks  and  suburbs. 

Vienna  and  the  Danube. 

Budapest:  the  Heart  of  Modern  Hungary. 
The  new  metropolis,  its  beauty  and  rapid  progress. 
The  Andrassy  Strasse  and  the  Danube  river  front. 

The  Other  Capitals  of  Austria  Hungary. 

Prague,  Cracow,  Trieste. 
Disintegrating  tendencies. 

TOPICS  FOR  SPECIAL  STUDY. 

Italy  and  Austria  since  1815. 

Outline  study  of  the  Magyars,  along  the  following  lines:  their  origin, 
race  traits,  relations  with  the  Turks,  and  the  national  awakening  in 
the  nineteenth  century. 

Kossuth,  his  life  and  work. 

The  last  siege  of  Vienna  by  the  Turks  in  1683. 

The  transformation  of  Vienna — a  study  in  municipal  methods. 

BOOKS  FOR  REFERENCE. 
Leger:    Austria-Hungary.     (Translation  by  Hill.    Excellent,  but  too 

partial  to  the  Slavs.) 
Coxe:  History  of  the  House  of  Au.stria. 


^^^litman:   The  Realm  of  the  Hapsburgs. 

Baron  de  Worms:     The  Austro-Huugarian  Empire. 

Kossuth :  His  Life  and  Times. 

Freeman:   The  Ottoman  Power  in  Europe. 


LECTURE  IV. 
Rome:  Church  and  Nation. 

Steps  in  the  Unification  of  Italy. 

Italy  in  1815. 

The  Kingdom  of  Italy  in  1860. 

Venice  and  Rome. 

"  Our  country  is  no  more  the  Italy  of  the  Romans,  nor  the  Italy  of 
the  Middle  Ages;  no  longer  the  field  for  every  foreign  ambition,  it 
becomes  henceforth  the  Italy   of    the   Italians." — Victor    Em 

MANUEL. 

Terrible  Heritage  of  the  Past. 

Overcrowded  medieval  cities. 

Ignorance  and  poverty. 

Conflicting  interests  between  North  and  South  Italy 

The  New  Municipal  Code. 

Local  self-govermiient  replaces  paternal  despotism. 

Rome  the  Capital  op  the  New  Italy. 

The  Old  Rome. 

Monuments  of  antiquity. 

Absence  of  all  sanitary  conditions — no  sewers  or  drainage,  no  ade- 
quate water  suppl}%  wells  in  the  saturated  soil  of  the  populous 
citj',  no  pavements,  street  lighting,  etc. 

The  modernization  and  improvements. 

Difficulties. 

New  water  supply  and  drainage— closing  the  wells — the  public  foun- 
tains, sanitary  regulations,  remarkable  decrease  in  the  death 
rate,  modern  thoroughfares. 

Parks  and  boulevards. 

Transit  serv'ice. 


8 

The  Church  and  Modern  Italy. 

The  position  of  the  papacy  in  1870. 
Gain  from  the  surrender  of  temporal  power. 
The  Church  and  Italian  socialism. 
Socialism  and  militarism. 

Italy's  Claims  upon  the  Future. 

Her  resources — magnificent  water  power — advantageous  geographic 
position  both  in  regard  to  products  and  markets. 

The  Greater  Italy. 

TOPICS  FOR  SPECIAL  STUDY. 

Cavour  and  Italian  Unification. 

Rise  of  the  House  of  Savoy. 

Italy's  economic  progress. 

Can  you  justify  the  seizure  of  Rome  by  the  Italian  government? 

WORKS  OF  REFERENCE. 

Bolton-King:   History  of  Italian  Unity. 

Cesaresco:    Life  of  Cavour. 

Stillman:    The  Union  of  Italy. 

Nitti:  Catholic  Socialism. 

King  and  Okey:    Italy  of  To-day. 

Hare:  Walks  in  Rome. 

Hall  Caine:   The  Eternal  City. 

Crawford:   Ave  Roma  Immortalis. 


LECTURE  V. 
Berne ;  The  Triumph  of  Democracy. 

Switzerland  Historically. 

The  Forest  Cantons. 

The  union  with  Zurich  and  Berne. 

The  heroic  struggle  for  liberty  against  the  Hapsburgs. 

Independence  and  neutrality. 

People'^and  Territory. 

"S^vitzerland  is  the  ethnological  center  of  Europe,  the  place  where 
the  rivers  take  their  rise,  and  the  races  meet  together" — Lowell. 
Races  and  language. 


Religion— "The  Swiss  have  two  religions  in  their  country;  it  is  this 
which  divides  them  occasionally;  but  they  have  only  one  liberty, 
which  they  love  supremely;  it  is  this  which  reconciles  them  always, 
and  which  will  reconcile  them  eternally."— State  Papers  of 
.sw'itzerland. 

The  Swiss  Confederation  in  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

Erected  into  a  loose  confederation  without  adequate  central  power 

by  the  Congress  of  Vienna. 
The  Federal  Constitution  of  1848. 
The  organization  of  the  govermnent. 
The  National  Legislature;    the  National  Council  and  the  Council  of 

States. 
The  Federal  Council  and  the  President. 
Extensive  functions  of  the  government. 
A  sort  of  tutor  and  supervisor  of  the  cantons. 
Direct  legislation  by  the  people. 
The  Referendum  and  the  Initiative. 
Parties  and  the  absence  of  party  machinery. 

Berne,  the  Capital  of  Switzerland. 

Picturesque  Alpine  setting,  yet  a  city  of  the  lowland  cantons. 

Interesting  remains  of  medievalism. 

The  "bear  pits,"  clock  towers,  fountains  and  arcades. 

The  Modern  City. 

The  Federal  Palace. 

The  fine  Suspension  Bridge. 

The  Historical  Museum. 

Transit  service,  water  supply,  etc. 

The  city  government;    its  extensive  social  activities. 

SPECIAL  TOPICS  FOR  STUDY. 

Reasons  for  the  neutrality  of  Switzerland. 

The  Referendum. 

Why  has  Swtzerland  produced  no  great  school  of  art  ? 

WORKS  OF  REFERENCE. 

MacCracken:   The  Rise  of  the  Swiss  Republic. 

Dandlicher:  A  Short  History  of  Switzerland. 

Vincent:   State  and  Federal  Govermnents  in  Switzerland 

Adams  and  Cunningham:   The  Swiss  Confederation 

Deploige:  The  Referendum  in  Switzerland. 

Dawson:    Social   Switzerland. 


10 

LECTURE  VI. 

Paris:  The  Evolution  of  Freedom. 

"  This  oscillating:  and  continual  advance  is  what  makes  the  charm 
of  French  history,  because  in  it  is  recognized  the  advance  of  humanity 
itself."— DuKuY^. 

Medieval  Paris. 

The  Seine  the  He  de  la  Cite. 

Narrow,  crooked  streets. 

Absence  of  pavements  and  sewers. 

The  Faubourgs. 

The  pre-revolutionaiy  municipal  regime, 

Pabis  and  the  Fkench  Revolution. 
Places  made  famous  in  the  Revolution. 
The  revolutionary  faubourgs. 

The  municipality  of  Paris  and  home  rule  an  example  to  other  cities. 
Napoleon  and  central  control — all  municipal  officers  the  agents  of  the 

prefect  who  was  appointed  by  the  emperor. 
Napoleon  and  Paris. 

Modern  Paris.     "  A  city  of  contrasts." 
A  hundred  years  of  transformation. 
Modernization  begun  under  the  Second  Empire. 
Napoleon  III.  revives  the  methods  of  the  First  Empire 
Era  of  Reconstruction,  from  1852-1871. 
Baron  Haussmann's  work. 

The  new  street  system,  etc.;  enormous  expenditure  for  this  work. 
M.  Aphland,  director  of  public  works  of  Paris,  and  the  more  recent 

street  improAemcnts. 
The  present  goveriunent  of  Paris — the  French  municipal  code. 
Efficiency  of  the  government. 
Activities  and  functions  of  the  municipal  bodies. 
Encouragement  and  support  to  education,  to  fine  arts. 
The  water  supply. 
Sewers  and  garbage  removal;    abandomncut  of  the  old  methods — 

sewage  fanns. 
Thoroughfares,  street  buildings,  paving,  cleaning  and  repair. 
Parks    and    playgrounds,  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  and  the  Bois  de 

Vincennes. 
Transit  and  housing. 
Some  striking  contrasts  in  the  life  of  the  French  metropolis. 


11 

Paris  the  Pioneer  Modern  City  of  Europe,  an  Example  to  Other 
Capitals. 

Paris  and  the  Third  Republic. 

TOPICS  FOR  CLASS  STUDY. 

Paris  in  1789. 

What  truth  in  the  statement  that  "Paris  is  France"? 

The  city's  patronage  of  art. 

Building  regulations  of  Paris. 

"Paris  the  most  beautiful  city  in  the  world." 

WORKS  FOR  SPECIAL  REFERENCE. 

Babeau:   Paris  in  1789. 

Du  Camp:    Paris. 

Grant  Allen:    Paris. 

Bodley:    France. 

Duruy:   History  of  France. 

Seignobos:  A  Political  History  of  Contemporary  Europe.     (Chapters 

5,  6,  7,  and  27  deal  with  France  and  are  exceptionally  good.) 
Mctor  Hugo:    Ninety-Three. 
Felix  Gras:  The  Reds  of  the  Midi. 
Zola:    Paris. 
The  works  of  Taine,  De  Tocqueville,  Von  Sybel,  Stephens,  Sorel  and 

Aulard. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 

Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Representative  American  Writers 


1.  Franklin,    the    Practical    Phi-  4.  Longfellow,  the  Poet. 

^    -r^  [,     „  5.  Lowell,  the  Critic. 

2.  Emerson,  the  beer. 

3.  Hawthorne,  the  Romancer.  6.  Whitman,  the  Prophet. 


By 

J.   Duncan  Spaeth,   Ph.  D, 


No.  257  Price,   15  cents 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  fc  r  the   Extension  of  Univertity  Teaching 

111  South   Fifteenth   Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


GENERAL  REFERENCES. 

W.  P.  Trent,  "A  History  of  American  Literature"  in  Literatures  of 
the  World  series,  edited  by  Edmund  Gosse.     (Full  Bibliographies.) 

By  the  same,  A  Brief  History  of  American  Literature,  based  on  the 
former  and  edited  as  a  school  text-book.     (Very  useful.) 

Barrett  Wendell,  A  Literai-y  History  of  America. 

Wendell  and  Greenough,  History  of  Literature  in  America.  School 
text-book  based  on  above. 

Henry  S.  Pancoast,  Introduction  to  American  Literature.  (Good 
Study  Lists.) 

George  E.  Woodberrj-,  Literature  in  America. 

John  Nichol,  American  Literature.     Edinburgh,  1882. 

For  additional  references  see  Prof.  Trent's  bibliographies,  and  the 
syllabus  of  Prof.  Nicholson  in  the  University  Extension  series.  For 
biographical  data  consvilt  Appleton's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography, 
or  The  National  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography. 

NOTE  TO  STUDENTS. 

The  Topics  for  Discussion,  Study  and  Essays,  which  follow  each 
lecture,  are  intended  to  encourage  first-hand  study  of  the  authors 
under  review,  along  the  lines  developed  in  the  lecture,  rather  than 
study  of  books  about  the  authors.  The  references  to  critical  literature 
are  therefore  few.  In  every  case  where  a  topic  for  class  discussion  is 
indicated  it  is  important  that  all  the  members  should  first  have  done  the 
indicated  reading.  "VMiile  the  discussions  may  not  prove  "profitable" 
in  the  sense  of  yielding  definite  conclu-sions  or  adding  to  the  portable 
stock  of  literary  information,  they  will  ser\'e  a  much  more  important 
end  if  they  sharpen  literary  discernment  and  add  zest  and  motive  to 
the  pleasures  of  reading. 


LECTURE  I. 

Franklin,  the  Practical  Philosopher. 

I.  Benjamin  Franklin  Primarily  not  a  Man  of  Letters  but  a 
Man  of  Affairs. — His  ambition  to  be  a  doer  rather  than  a  writer: 
Yet  one  of  America's  representative  writers.  His  Autobiography  an 
English  classic  ranking  with  Robinson  Crusoe  and  Pilgrim's  Progress  in 
popularity  and  wide  appeal.  "The  Many-sided  Franklin."  Printer, 
Publisher,  Journalist,  Merchant,  Philanthropist,  Promoter,  Statesman, 
Diplomatist,  Inventor,  Scientist,  Author,  Jack  and  Master  of  all  trades, 
he  is  the  prototype  of  the  successful,  self-made  American.  Tho  many- 
sided  not  "myriad-minded."  Dominant  mental  trait  common  sense, 
which  is  nothing  but  the  ability  to  see  the  connection  between  cause 
and  effect  in  the  affairs  of  every-day  life  and  to  act  accordingly.  His 
eye  always  on  facts,  but  his  mind  always  inquiring  for  causes.  "For 
want  of  a  nail  the  shoe  was  lost ;  for  want  of  a  shoe  the  horse  was  lost ; 
for  want  of  a  horse  the  rider  was  lost."  This  his  mental  habit  whether 
writing  "Poor  Richard"  maxims,  or  investigating  electrical  phenomena. 
Franklin,  the  Practical  Philosopher  in  American  Literature.  His 
practical  wisdom,  knowledge  of  life,  of  himself  and  his  fellow-men  give 
permanence  to  the  Autobiography,  Poor  Richard,  and  some  of  his 
essays.  What  he  wrote  as  pamphleteer  and  journalist,  ephemeral; 
eclipsed  by  his  own  activity. 

II.  Practical  Philosopher  vs.  Speculath-e  Theologi.*.n. — Tho 
bom  in  New  England,  Franklin  not  a  New  Englander  in  temper. 
The  religious  bent  of  the  New  England  mind  during  the  Colonial  period. 
Literature  almost  entirely  theological.  Cotton  Mather.  Jonathan 
Edwards.  Edwards,  Franklin's  contemporan,-,  a  fine  type  of  the  specu- 
lative theologian.  The  orJy  Colonial  writer  besides  Franklin  with  a 
European  reputation.  Franklin's  attitude  towards  the  polemic  theol- 
ogy of  his  day.  (See  Autobiography  and  Letter  to  Samuel  Mather, 
Riv.  Ed.,p.  83.)  His  test  of  religion  not  its  truth  but  its  usefulness. 
"Deism  may  be  true,  but  not  useful."  Influence  of  eighteenth 
century  Deists.  Deism  vs.  Puritanism.  Franklin's  bent  toward  the 
practical,  found  a  more  congenial  atmosphere  in  Philadelphia.  Story 
of  his  arrival  and  falling  asleep  in  Quaker  Meeting-house.  Importance 
of   Philadelphia   in   the   eighteenth   century.     Religious   tolerance   of 

(3) 


Penn's  colony.  The  practical  bent  of  Philadelphia's  intellectual  life. 
The  Philosophical  Society  not  a  metaphysical  society.  The  University 
of  Pennsylvania  traditionally  less  aUied  with  theological  dogma  than 
Harvard,  Yale,  or  Princeton.  Franklin  freed  American  Literature 
fromi  its  subserviency  to  theology. 

III.  Franklin's  Literary  Training. — His  imitation  of  the  Spec- 
tator. Contrast  between  the  ponderous  prose  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  the  light,  graceful,  witty  style  of  Addison.  The  Do-Good 
and  Busy-Body  papers.  His  fondness  for  literary  impersonation  and 
mystification.  His  career  as  journalist  and  its  influence  on  his  style. 
His  humor.    Its  American  quality.    Incapacity  for  serious  state  papers. 

IV.  The  Autobiography  and  Poor  Richard's  Almanac. — Frank- 
lin's literary  reputation  based  on  these  two  books.  Origin  of  the 
Almanac.  Pv-easons  for  its  popularity.  Who  "Poor  Pilchard"  was. 
The  Autobiography.  How  it  came  to  be  written.  The  strange  history 
of  the  Ms.  The  literary  quality  of  the  Autobiography.  FrankUn's 
indifference  to  literary  fame. 

V.  Franklin's  Practical  Philosophy. — God  helps  them  that 
help  themselves.  Contrast  between  this  and  the  profound  sense  of 
dependence  on  God,  characteristic  of  the  New  England  mind.  The 
basis  of  success,  Industry,  Frugality,  Honesty.  Honesty  the  best 
Policy.  On  the  physical  side,  good  health.  Franklin's  hygiene 
far  ahead  of  his  time.  Fresh  air,  fresh  water,  temperate  diet.  (See 
his  letter  on  The  Art  of  Procuring  Pleasant  Dreams,  Riv.  Ed.,  p  51.) 

VI.  Franklin's  Place  in  American  Literature. — His  limita- 
tions. Not  among  the  great  writers.  His  aim  not  to  enrich  life,  but 
to  make  us  rich  in  this  life.  Never  urged  to  write  by  creative  instinct, 
plastic  impulse,  need  of  self-expression.  Found  writing  useful  and 
made  himself  master  of  the  useful  and  interesting  style.  Franklin 
nevertheless  a  truly  representative  American  WTiter.  His  sense,  his 
humor,  his  good  temper,  his  shrewdness,  his  fund  of  anecdote,  his 
appetite  for  facts,  his  self-reliance  and  resourcefulness,  all  character- 
istically American,  and  characteristic  of  a  side  of  the  American  mind 
not  ordinarily  turned  toward  literature.  But  no  hint  of  the  finer, 
subtler  quality  of  the  American  mind  in  Franklin.  No  faintest  sug- 
gestion or  foretaste  of  Emerson's  spiritual  insight,  Hawthorne's  artist 
touch,  Lowell's  love  of  letters,  Longfellow's  tender  grace  and  romantic 
sentiment.  Whitman's  democratic  fervor  and  inspired  vision. 

RECOMMENDED  READING. 

Life:  J.  B.  McMaster,  in  American  Men  of  Letters  series.  '  Vs 

Paul  Leicester  Ford,  The  Many-Sided  Franklin.  -    .  > 


Works:  John  Bigelow's  is  the  best  edition  of  the  Autobiography.    The 

Century   Co.    has  a  handy   edition    with   good  introduction  by 

Woodrow  Wilson. 
P.  L.  Ford's  edition  of  Poor  Richard's  Almanac  has  an  interesting 

introduction. 
Prof.  A.  H.  Smyth  is  preparing  a  new  edition  of  Franklin's  works 

for  the  bicentennial  of  Franklin's  birth,  1906. 


TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION,  STUDY  AND  ESSAYS. 

Discuss  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  Franklin's  method  of 
acquiring  a  style.  (See  Autobiography.)  Compare  Stevenson's 
method.  (See  Essay  in  Memories  and  Portraits.)  Find  passage  in  Auto- 
biographv  where  F.-anklin  speaks  of  the  usefidnessoi  poetry  to  the  stu- 
dent, of  "style.  Where  is  his  fallacy?  How  does  this  passage  prove 
his  incapacity  to  appreciate  poetry?"  Show  how  Franklin  solved  scien- 
tific problems  by  common  sense,  and  sought  for  a  scientific  explanation 
of  common  facts  of  experience.  How  did  he  discover  that  storms 
travel  in  an  opposite  direction  from  that  of  the  wind?  The  effect  of 
oil  upon  waves?  The  currents  of  the  Gulf-stream?  (The  material 
will  be  found  in  most  condensed  form  in  Ford's  "  Franklin.")  How 
did  he  explain  the  advantages  derived  from  fresh  air  and  walking.  (See 
Letter  on  "Art  of  Procuring  Pleasant  Dreams,"  and  "Franklin  and 
the  Gout."     Riv.  Lit.  Ser.) 

Write  a  paper  to  show  that  Franklin's  moral  philosophy  was  based 
on  the  two  ideas  of  Usefuh>ess  and  Self-development  as  contrasted  with 
the  ideas  of  Conscience  and  Dependence  on  God  dominating  Puritan  life. 
(Quote  from  Autobiography  and  Poor  Richard.) 

Why  may  Franklin  justly  be  called  the  completest  exponent  of  the 
18th  Century?  (See  Trent's  fuller  American  Literature,  p.  123,  and 
Pancoast,  pp.  83-85,  for  suggestions  on  this  point.) 

A  Comparison  of  Franklin's  Autobiography  with  any  one  of  the  fol- 
lowing: Augustine's  Confessions,  Rou.sseau's  Confessions,  Goethe's 
Wahrlieit  und  Dichtung,  Ruskin's  Preterita. 

Read  Franklin's  remarks  on  his  famous  stove  (quoted  Ford  355-58, 
and  by  way  of  contrast  Hawthorne's  plea  for  the  open  fire-place  in 
Fire- Worship  (Mosses  from  an  old  Manse)  and  note  how  each  illlustrates 
the  characteristic  point  of  view  of  its  author  toward  Ufe:  Franklin,  the 
practical  philosopher;   Hawthorne,  the  romancer. 

Select  ten  maxims  from  Poor  Richard  and  as  many  from  Emerson 
to  show  how  Franklin  was  the  friend  and  aider  of  those  w^ho  would 
prosper  in  the  world  and  Emerson  of  those  who  w'ould  live  in  the 
Spirit.  Make  choice  so  as  to  show  epigrammatic  genius  common  to 
both,  with  disparity  of  intellectual  interest.  E.  g.  Franklin:  "Early  to 
bed  and  early  to  rise,  makes  a  man  healthy,  wealthy  and  wise."  Emer- 
son: "Fear  God,  and  wherever  you  go,  men  shall  think  they  walk  in 
hallowed  cathedrals." 


LECTURE  II. 
Emerson,  the  Seer. 

I.  Emerson,  the  Seer  in  American  Literature. — His  gift  insight. 
"God  has  given  me  the  seeing  eye."  His  genius  to  see  the  universal 
in  the  particular,  the  constant  in  the  variable,  the  esssential  in  the 
incidental,  the  law  behind  the  fact.  Like  Spinoza,  viewed  the  world 
"sub  specie  aeternitatis. "  But  Emerson  no  systematic  philosopher. 
His  method  poetic,  not  scientific.  The  scientist  proceeds  by  induction, 
reasons  to  his  conclusions,  proves  his  assmnptions.  The  poet  by 
intuition;  does  not  adduce  proof,  but  reports  what  he  has  seen.  "I 
do  not  know  what  arguments  are,  in  reference  to  any  expression  of 
thought."'  "I  delight  in  telling  what  I  think,  but  if  you  ask  me  why 
it  is  so  I  am  the  most  helpless  of  mortals."  Emerson  the  Eye-witness 
of  Spiritual  Truth.  This  first-hand  immediate  quality  of  his  message, 
the  secret  of  his  power  as  a  spiritual  force.  The  two  most  typically 
American  ^Titers  in  our  group,  Franklin  and  Emerson,  the  most 
practical  and  the  most  transcendental  of  philosophers,  the  friend  and 
aider  of  those  who  would  live  in  the  world,  and  "the  friend  and  aider 
of  those  who  would  live  in  the  spirit." 

II.  Emerson  and  the  Transcendental  Movement. — In  spite  of 
his  spontaneity,  Emerson  very  much  the  product  of  his  heredity  and 
environment.  The  six  generations  of  New  England  divines.  The 
New  England  Renaissance.  Unitarianism.  Its  two  aspects:  ration- 
alism and  ethical  optimism.  Channing  as  representative  of  the  latter 
in  his  protest  against  the  doctrine  of  total  depravity.  Influence  of 
Germany.  Coleridge  and  Carlyle  as  expounders  of  German  Idealism. 
Wordsworth.  Kant  and  his  "Categorical  Imperative"  vs.  Utilita- 
rianism. Schleiermacher  and  his  religion  of  subjective  feeling  vs. 
Rationalism.  Goethe's  gospel  of  culture  vs.  Intolerance  and  Asceticism. 
The  New  England  Transcendentalists.  Practical  and  literary  fruits: 
The  Dial,  and  Brook  Farm.  Emerson's  relations  to  the  movement: 
his  Yankee  shrewdness  prevented  him  from  going  to  extremes. 

III.  Emerson's  Message. — (1)  Self-Reliance.  Its  intellectual  as- 
pect. "Whatever  another  announces  I  must  find  true  in  myself  or 
I  must  reject  it."  Repudiation  of  external  authority  and  past  reve- 
lations. Value  of  the  Present.  Importance  of  the  individual.  (2) 
The  Source  of  Power.  Emerson's  doctrine  of  the  Over-Soul  and 
Spiritual  Laws  a  necessary  complement  to  his  doctrine  of  Self-Reliance. 
"There  is  one  mind  common  to  all  individual  men.  Every  man  is  an 
inlet  to  the  same  and  to  all  of  the  same."     "The  American  Scholar" 


and  "Nature"  contain  Emerson's  leading  ideas:  Nature  a  symbol  of 
Mind,  the  identity  of  the  natural  and  the  moral  law,  the  immanence 
of  God  in  Nature  and  man,  the  accessibility  of  truth  by  intuition,  faith 
in  the  individual,  and  contempt  for  majorities,  absolute  trust  in  the 
harmony  between  the  individual  human  will  and  the  moral  law,  con- 
fidence that  all  things  make  together  for  good  and  that  Goodness, 
Truth  and  Beauty  will  prevail  without  our  assistance  or  interference. 
"The  American  Scholar"  a  landmark  in  the  history  of  American 
culture.     Our  "intellectual  Declaration  of  Independence." 

IV.  Emerson's  Limitations  as  Teacher  and  Guide. — Difficulty 
of  criticism.  Emerson  always  sees  the  other  side,  anticipates  your 
objection,  and  states  it  more  cogently  than  you  could  yourself.  (Cf. 
e.  g.  "The  Conservative").  But  though  he  sees  it,  he  does  not  let  it 
count.  Where  his  teaching  is  one-sided  (his  seeing  never  is)  it  is  apt  to 
result  from  one  of  the  following  factors: 

(1)  Lack  of  human  sympathy.  Impairs  the  carrying  power  of  his 
optimism,  because  it  ignores  sin  and  suffering  as  facts  of  human  exist- 
ence.    Evil  with  Emerson  a  metaphysical,  never  a  physical  fact. 

(2)  Intellectualism.  His  emotions  all  intellectualized.  (Cf.  his 
essay  on  Love.)  Hence  his  aversion  to  partisanship.  Refusal  to  be 
harnessed.  Will  not  yield  himself  to  any  Person  or  Cause.  (His 
part  in  the  abolition  movement  the  one  exception.)  Intellectual 
independence  sometimes  verging  upon  intellectual  irresponsibility. 

(3)  The  Goethean  Ideal  of  Culture.  (Read  R.  H.  Button's  fine 
essay  on  Goethe).  Its  keynote,  self-enlargement  instead  of  service. 
"Into  paint  will  I  grind  thee,  my  bride." 

(4)  Extreme  individualism. 

(5)  Lack  of  historic  sense.  With  all  his  reverence  for  the  individual, 
no  grasp  of  personality. 

(6)  Want  of  artistic  sensibility.  No  eye  for  color.  No  ear  for  music. 
Hence  underv-alued  travel.    "The  stuff  of  all  countries  is  just  the  same." 

IV.  Emerson  and  Carlyle. — Their  first  meeting,  friendship  and 
correspondence.  Carlyle's  influence  in  America.  Emerson's  in  Europe. 
Common  ground:  both  idealists,  i.  e.  believed  in  superiority  of  mind 
over  matter,  but  arrived  at  their  idealism  from  different  directions. 
Carlyle's  point  of  departure,  the  conflict  of  the  individual  will  with 
the  external  world.  Mind  must  rule  matter,  therefore  character 
tramples  Nature  under  foot.  (Heroic  Idealism,  Kant,  Fichte.)  Emer- 
son starts  from  his  consciousness  of  the  world-soul  in  Nature,  and  the 
affinity  of  the  individual  will  with  the  moral  law,  therefore  character 
is  union  vdih.  Nature.  (Contemplative  Ideahsm.)  Both  regard  visible 
Nature  as  a  symbol  of  Mind.  (See  "Sartor"  and  "Nature.")  Both 
moralists,  searching  for  the  Divine  in  Nature  and   society.     Dissimi- 


8 

larity  of  temperament  and  character.  Carlyle  vehement,  violent, 
passionate,  intense,  coarse  and  tender,  full  of  laughter  and  tears.  Emer- 
son, serene,  self-contained,  dainty,  refined,  every  drop  of  hot,  rebeUious 
blood  filtered  through  six  generations  of  blameless  New  England 
divines.  Subsequent  divergence.  Carlyle's  divorce  of  knowledge 
and  action,  and  repudiation  of  the  attempt  to  know.  Emerson's 
unity  of  knowing  and  doing.  Emerson's  belief  in  Democracy.  Car- 
lyle's in  Aristocracy.  Emerson's  in  Representative  Men.  Carlyle's 
in  Heroes.  Emerson  anti-slavery.  Carlyle  pro-slavery.  Emerson 
more  and  more  Optimist,  enveloped  in  sweetness  and  light.  Carlyle 
more  and  more  Pessimist,  enveloped  in  bitterness  and  gloom.  What 
Carlyle  preached  as  Duty,  was  to  Emerson  Privilege.  To  Carlyle  the 
Moral  Law  revealed  in  Sinaitic  Lightnings.  To  Emerson  it  is  diffusive 
as  the  sunlight.  What  Carlyle  attained  by  agonized  wrestling  with 
the  "Everlasting  No"  was  Emerson's  birthright.  Tho  their  de- 
velopment thus  divergent,  they  will  be  remembered  together  as  the 
greatest  spiritual  influence  in  English  Literature  during  the  nineteenth 
century.  Emerson  is  a  tonic  for  the  blood.  Carlyle  is  exercise  for  the 
muscles.  They  both  whetted  the  appetite  of  their  time  for  the  things 
of  the  spirit,  yet  neither  could  satisfy  it  with  food. 

VI.  Emerson  as  Writer  and  Lecturer. — (1)  Writer  and  scholar. 
Habits  of  reading  and  study.  Not  a  scholar  in  modern  sense.  Pref- 
erence for  translations.  Two  classes  of  books:  books  of  power,  and 
books  of  knowledge.  He  read  the  former,  Plato,  Shakspere,  Goethe, 
for  inspiration  rather  than  for  thoro  mastery  of  their  subject-matter. 
Books  of  knowledge:  read  widely  in  History,  Biography,  Memoirs,  for 
anecdote,  incident,  and  illustration.  Hence  wealth  of  illustratioji  in 
his  lectures  and  essays.  His  style.  Want  of  continuity.  Due  to 
habits  of  composition.  (2)  Lecturer  :  Emerson's  marvellous  pop- 
ularity as  a  lecturer.  Due  partly  to  his  voice  and  personal  mag- 
netism. Brief  epigrammatic  sentences,  striking  paradox,  concrete 
illustrations  of  the  most  abtsract  truths,  fund  of  anecdote.  Emerson 
not  only  a  transcendental  philosopher,  but  a  keen  observer  of  life. 
LTnited  with  his  spiritual  insight  the  practical  wisdom  and  epigram- 
matic talent  of  Poor  Richard,  especially  in  his  later  books  like  English 
Traits  and  The  Conduct  of  Life,  which  are  therefore  more  palatable 
to  the  average  reader  than  the  transcendental  essays,  and  ought  to  be 
more  read  than  they  are. 

RECOMMENDED  READING. 
Life:  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  in  American  Men  of  Letters  series. 
Richard  Garnett,  in  Great  Writers  series. 

Charles   Eliot   Norton  has  edited   the  "Carlyle-Emerson"  corre 
spondeuce. 


9 

Works:  Among  Emerson's  works  the  following  are  especially  recom- 
mended : 
"The  American  Scholar,"  "Self-Reliance,"  "Heroism,"  "Charac- 
ter," "Compensation,"  "Spiritual  Laws,"  from  the  Essays.  "Eng- 
lish Traits,^' "  Power,"  "Wealth,"  "Culture  and  Behavior,"  from 
The  Conduct  of  Life. 

Critical:  John  Jay  Chapman,  Emerson  and  other  Essays. 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION,  STUDY  AND  ESSAYS. 

Emerson's  Transcendental  Friends. 

Write  a  sketch  of  each  of  the  following:  Margaret  Fuller  (Biography 
by  Emerson,  J.  F.  Clarke,  W.  H.  Channing,  and  the  Am.  M.  of  L.  vol.  by 
T.  W.  Kigginson.)  Alcott.  (Memoir  by  Frank  B.  Sanborn,  and  W. 
T.  Harris.)  See  also  Louisa  Alcott's  "Little  Women"  for  memories 
of  a  transcendental  home.  James  Freeman  Clarke.  (Autobiography 
edited  by  E.  E.  Hale.)  George  Ripley.  (O.  B.  Frothingham  in  Am. 
Men  of  L.  series.)  Theodore  Parker  (Biography  by  J.  W.  Chad- 
wick).  Thoreau  (Biography  by  F.  B.  Sanborn  in  Am.  M.  of  L.  "Wal- 
den  "  and  "  Letters"  in  Riv.  Ed.  of  his  works.) 

Emerson  as  a  Nature  Poet.  The  Concord  landscape,  birds,  and 
flowers  in  Emerson's  poems.  Read  especially  "May-day,"  "Wood- 
notes,"  Musketaquit,"  "Two  Rivers,"  "Rhodora,"  "My  Garden,"  "The 
Titmouse,"  "Blight,"  "Waldeinsamkeit,"  "The  Snow-storm."  Prove 
truth  of  statement  that  Emerson  "had  eyes  only  for  the  Concord 
Landscape." 

Emerson's  Optimism  contrasted  with  Browning's.  Emerson  a  con- 
templative optimist.  Browning  a  militant  optimist.  Browning's 
recognition  of  Sin  and  Evil. 

Emerson  as  a  Prose  Writer.  Read  M.  Arnold's  Essay  on  Emer- 
son and  discuss  its  estimate  of  Emerson's  genius. 

Emerson  and  Patriotism.  Read  Chapman's  Essay  on  Emerson, 
and  Emerson's  Fortunes  of  the  Republic. 

Emerson   and   Hawthorne. 

Their  personal  relations  in  Concord.  Hawthorne's  estimate  of 
Emerson  (in  The  Old  Manse.)  Why  could  Emerson  not  read  Haw- 
thorne's books?  Consider  Emer.son's  attitude  toward  the  problem 
that  afforded  Hawthorne  his  dominant  literary  "motif." 

Discuss  Emerson's  distinction  between  "Man  Thinking"  and  "The 
Thinker"  in  The  The  American  Scholar;  does  the  modem  drift  toward 
specialization  make  for  men  in  Emerson's  sense  or  for  tools.  What  is 
the  function  of  the  American  University?  To  produce  Knowledge  or 
Man  Knowing? 

Emerson  and  WTiitman. 

What  aspect  of  Emerson's  teaching  is  most  emphasized  by  Whitman? 
Contrast  Emerson's  isolation  with  Whitman's  promiscuous  fellowship 
(' '  adhesiveness  ") . 

Read  Whitman's  "  Brooklyn  Ferry  "  and  Emerson's  "Love"  and 
"Friendship." 

Emerson  and  Carlyle. 

Write  a  character-sketch  of  each  based  on  the  correspondence. 
(Edited,  C.  E.  Norton.) 


10 

Contrast  the  point  of  view  of  Emerson's  "Representative  Men"  with 
that  of  Carlyle's  "Heroes  and  Hero-Worship, "  showing  Emerson's 
interest  in  ideas,  Carlyle's  in  personalities. 

Goethe's  Influence  on  Emerson.  (See  Holmes  in  American  Men  of 
Letters  and  Emerson's  Representative  Men,  "Goethe.") 

Read  Carlyle's  translation  of  "Wilhelm  Meister."  Show  how  both 
Carlyle  and  Emerson  were  prevented  by  temperament  and  training 
from  understanding  Goethe  as  artist. 

Read  Emerson's  "English  Traits"  and  Hawthorne's  "Our  Old 
Home,"  and  contrast  the  attitude  of  Emerson  and  Hawthorne  toward 
England. 


LECTURE  III. 

Hawthorne,  the  Romancer. 

I.  Hawthorne,  the  Artist  in  American  Literature. — Poe  his 
only  rival  as  pure  literary  artist.  His  love  of  the  beautiful.  (See  the 
"Artist  of  the  Beautiful.")  But  Hawthorne's  art  modified  by  his 
Puritan  inheritance.  Conflict  between  Puritanism  and  Art.  (See 
the  "Maypole  of  Merry  Mount.")  Hawthorne's  attitude  towards 
New  England  Puritanism:  revolted  against  it  but  fascinated  by  it. 
It  haunted  his  soul  and  excercised  a  spell  over  his  imagination.  His 
feeling  for  Salem  symbolical  of  his  attitude  toward  Puritanism.  (See 
interesting  passage  on  Salem  in  the  introductory  chapter  of  the  Scarlet 
Letter.)  The  sentiment  partly  physical,  due  "to  the  deep  and  aged 
roots  which  my  family  has  struck  into  the  soil,  the  mere  sensuous  sym- 
pathy of  dust  for  dust."  Partly  moral:  figure  of  first  ancestor  "still 
haunts  me  and  induces  a  sort  of  home-feeling  with  the  past  .  .  . 
creates  a  kindred  between  the  human  being  and  the  locality,  quite  inde- 
pendent of  any  charm  in  the  scenery  or  moral  circumstances  .  .  . 
it  is  not  love  but  instinct  ...  no  matter  that  the  place  is  joyless 
for  him,  the  spell  survives.  I  felt  it  almost  a  destiny  to  make  Salem  my 
home."  So  we  may  say  it  was  his  destiny  to  make  Puritanism  the 
home  of  his  imagination.  He  says:  "I  might  as  well,  or  better,  have 
gone  somewhere  else,  (Cf.  the  attempt  to  do  so  in  "The  Marble 
Faun,")  but  "my  doom  was  on  me."  Meeting-point  of  his  Puritan- 
ism and  his  Art-impulse  in  the  intense  realization  of  the  moral 
values  in  life,  "the  sense  of  the  supremacy  of  the  soul's  inter- 
ests." The  part  played  by  conscience  in  the  religious  life  of  the 
Puritans.      Their  introspective   bent.      Hawthorne's  interest    in    the 


I 


11 

secrecy  of  men's  bosoms.  So  in  spite  of  the  inherent  conflict  be- 
tween Puritanism  and  Art,  he  found  in  the  soul  of  Puritanism  his 
leading  Art  motive.  Contrast  with  Walter  Scott's  treatment  of 
Puritanism  in  Woodstock.  This  emphasis  upon  the  soul  gi^'es  the 
universal,  human  quality  to  his  art,  in  spite  of  its  local,  provincial 
character. 

II.  The  Literary  History  of  Hawthorne. — (1)  Period  of  the 
Twice-told  Taeh,  1825-45.— Birth  in  Salem  July  4,  1804.  Puritan 
ancestors.  Salem  back-grounds.  Year  in  the  Maine  woods,  "Cursed 
habit  of  solitude."  Bowdoin  College.  Friendship  v/ith  Pierce  and 
Horatio  Bridge.  Hawthorne's  distaste  for  literary  society,  but  capac- 
ity for  intimate  friendship.  Longfellow  his  class-mate.  Lonely 
life  in  Salem  for  twelve  years  after  graduation,  1825-1837,  from  his 
twenty-first  to  thirty-third  year.  The  "Chamber  under  the  Eaves." 
Brooding  contemplation  alternating  with  minute  observation.  Fan- 
shaxve, 182S.  Its  failure.  Influence  of  Scott  in  turning  Hawthorne's  at- 
tention to  the  romantic  past  of  New  England.  First  short  tales.  His 
craving  for  recognition  and  his  discouragement.  Contrast  with  Long- 
fellow's easy  success.  Tales  in  the  "Token"  and  other  periodicals. 
How  the  first  volume  of  Tivice-told  Tales  came  to  be  published.  (1837.) 
Bridge's  confidence  in  the  powers  of  his  friend.  Longfellow's  sympa- 
thetic review.  Hawthorne  to  Longfellow:  "I  have  been  carried  away 
from  the  main  current  of  life,  and  find  it  impossible  to  get  back  again." 
The  tales  "an  attempt  to  open  up  intercourse  with  the  world."  Meet- 
ing with  Sophia  Peabody.  His  happiness  in  their  engagement.  She 
redeemed  him  from  the  shadow  of  himself.  "Without  you  my  best 
knowledge  of  myself  would  haA'e  been  merely  to  know  my  own  shadow." 
Miss  Peabody's  artistic  sensibility.  The  Peabodys  a  link  between 
Hawthorne  and  the  Transcendentalists.  Hawthorne  at  last  gets  into 
"the  main  current  of  life"  by  the  help  of  his  friends.  Enjoys  the 
plunge  in,  but  not  the  staying  in.  Customs  officer  on  the  Boston 
wharves.  His  occupation  a  damper  upon  his  imagination  but  a  stimulus 
to  his  faculty  of  observation.  His  note-books.  The  recording  instinct. 
Realism.  Literary  work.  Grandfather^ s  chair.  The  year  at  Brook 
Farm.  Aloofness  from  its  spirit.  The  Old  Manse.  Hawthorne's 
personal  relations  to  the  Concord  group,  Emerson,  Alcott,  Thoreau, 
EUery  Channing.  Domestic  happiness.  Failure  to  make  a  living 
by  his  pen  and  appointment  to  the  Salem  Custom  House.  Literary 
fruit  of  the  Concord  years.  Some  additional  tales,  which  with  earlier 
ones  and  the  introductory  sketch  on  The  Old  Manse  appeared  as 
Mosses  from  an  Old  Manse.  (1846).  With  his  departure  from 
Concord  his  activity  as  a  writer  of  short  tales  practically  ended.  Only 
a  few  written  later.     The  series:    Twice-told  Tales,  Mosses  from  an  Old 


12 

Manse,  Snow  Image.  Their  variety.  Sketches  from  real  Hfe  showng 
Hawthorne's  power  of  close  observation:  The  "Toll-gatherer's  Day," 
"The  Old  Apple  Dealer,"  "Sights  from  a  Church  Steeple."  Historic 
Tales,  showing  his  perception  of  the  romantic  element  in  the  past  of 
New  England:  "Legends  of  the  Province  House."  Problem  Tales, 
showing  his  power  to  make  a  story  out  of  an  imagined  situation :  "David 
Swan,"  "Wakefield."  "Wives  of  the  Dead."  Tales  of  Moral  Symbolism : 
"The  Minister's  Black  Veil,"  "The  Bosom  Serpent,"  "The  Artist  of  the 
Beautiful."  Formal  Allegories:  "The Great  Stone  Face."  Studies  in  the 
Weird:  "Rappacini's  Daughter."    Contrast  with  Poe. 

(2)  Period  of  the  New  England  Romances.  (1845-1854.)  The 
Scarlet  Letter.  Circumstances  of  its  origin.  Life  in  the  Salem  Custom 
House.  The  introductory  sketch  in  the  Scarlet  Letter.  Germ  of  the 
romance  a  short  tale.  Visit  of  J.  T.  Fields.  (See  Yesterdays  with 
American  Authors  by  the  same),  and  Hawthorne's  elaboration  of  the 
tale  into  a  romance  at  the  latter's  suggestion.  Analysis  of  the  Scarlet 
Letter.  Its  unique  character.  Hawthorne's  interest  not  in  the  deed 
but  in  its  consequences;  again,  not  in  the  outward  consequences,  but 
in  the  state  of  a  soul.  His  psychologic  analysis  contrasted  with  Brown- 
ing's in  The  Ring  and  the  Book.  Its  success  a  stimulus  to  Hawthorne. 
Had  no  worldly  initiative  or  enterprise,  but  a  keen  literary  ambition 
and  great  tenacity  of  literary  purpose.  With  all  his  shyness  and 
retiring  disposition,  desired  to  be  known;  piqued  at  being  "for  twelve 
years  the  obscurest  man  of  letters  in  America,"  while  Longfellow  and 
other  contemporaries  were  winning  fame. — Life  in  the  Berkshire  Hills. 
The  Howie  of  the  Seve7i  Gables,  within  a  year  of  the  Scarlet  letter. 
Less  imaginative  intensity  than  in  the  former.  Its  realism  of  New 
England  life.  The  curse  motive. — Hawthorne's  happine.ss  at  home 
with  his  wife  and  children.  Sunny  side  of  his  nature.  Purity  and 
innocence  of  his  nature.  The  great  romancer  of  guilt  the  writer  of 
beautiful  children's  books.  The  Wonder-book,  and  Tanglewood  Tales, 
"No  Children's  Books  so  dipped  in  morning  dews."  (Woodberry). 
The  purity  and  the  cold  curiosity  of  child-nature  the  very  essence  of  his 
portrayal  of  guilt. — Removal  to  West  Newton,  near  Roxboro,  revived 
the  memory  of  his  Brook  Farm  experience.  The  Blithedale  Roiyiance. 
Least  substantial  of  his  books,  but  most  interesting  to  the  student  of 
his  literary  method.     Analysis  of  the  character  of  the  reformer. 

(3)  The  Period  of  European  Influence.  (1854-1860.)  The  Marble 
Faun.  The  efiect  of  Italy  upon  Hawthrone.  The  Puritan  artist  in 
the  land  of  Art.  His  joy  in  Italy.  Naturalism  vs.  Puritanism.  The 
Marble  Faun  Hawthorne's  most  ambitious  work,  but  not  his  greatest. 
The  moral  problem  stated.     Sin  and  Naturalism. 

III.  Summary    of    Characterlstic    Traits. — Classicism    of    style, 


13 

Romanticism  in  choice  and  treatment  of  subject  ;matter.  Purity  and 
melody  of  his  prose.  Its  coolness  and  "brown  twilight. "  Hawthorne's 
magic.  The  "moon-light  of  romance"  (see  close  of  introductory 
chapter  to  Scarlet  Letter).  Hawthorne's  aloofness  from  the  passions 
he  portrays.  Like  a  child  or  an  elf.  A  moral  inquisitor,  prying  (his  own 
word)  into  the  secrets  of  men's  bosoms.  Almost  a  vivisector  of  souls. 
His  place  as  a  writer  of  fiction.  A  self-made  man  of  letters.  His 
forerunners  in  American  fiction,  Charles  Brockden  Brown  and  William 
Austin.  Only  contemporary  rival,  Poe,  and  he  only  in  a  limited  sense. 
Hawthorne  himself  the  forerunner  of  realism  and  the  problem  novel  in 
American  fiction.     An  early  master  in  the  field  of  the  short  story. 

RECOMMENDED  READING. 

Life:  George  E.  Woodberry,  in  American  Men  of  Letters  series 

Julian  Hawthorne,  Hawthorne  and  his  Circle. 
Works.  Mosses  from  an  Old  Manse.     The  Scarlet  Letter. 
Critical:  R.  H.  Hutton's  essay,  "Hawthorne." 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION,  STUDY  AND  ESSAYS. 

Read  Hawthorne's  Preface  to  his  Twice-told  Tales  and  note  to 
what  extent  his  self-criticism  seems  just. 

Study  the  "May-Pole  of  Merry  Mount"  and  the  "Artist  of  the  Beau- 
tiful" as  illustrating  Hawthorne's  attitude  toward  Puritanism  and  his 
temper  as  an  artist. 

Read  the  Preface  to  the  Bhthedale  Romance  and  the  conclusion  of 
the  introductory  sketch  of  the  Scarlet  Letter,  and  discuss  Hawthorne's 
conception  of  "Romance."  What  constitutes  the  Romantic  element 
in  the  Blithedale  Romance?  Separate  the  passages  of  pure  realism  and 
minute  observation.  (Compare  with  passages  from  his  Journal  and 
Note-books  during  Brook  Farm  Period.,  in  Riv.  Ed.  of  his  "Works.") 

Try  working  out  Hawthorne's  suggestion  about  the  boy  who  killed 
the  wounded  British  soldier  (See  The  Old  Manse)  into  a  tale  after  the 
pattern  of  Roger  Malvin's  Burial. 

Are  any  of  the  Twice-told  Tales  exceptions  to  the  criticism  made  by 
Prof.  Woodberry?  (Hawthorne  in  American  Men  of  Letters,  p.  156.) 
Study  Hawthorne's  use  of  a  physical  image  as  a  moral  and  spiritual 
symbol  in  the  six  tales  mentioned  by  Prof.  Woodberry,  pp.  143-149. 

Hawthorne  and  Poe.  See  Poe's  criticisms  of  Hawthorne's  allegori- 
zing tendency.     Compare  their  handling  of  the  short  story. 

The  Scarlet  Letter.  Does  it  show  evidences  of  its  origin  as  a  shorter 
tale  in  structure  or  plot?  In  what  respect  is  it  an  advance  upon  the 
Tales. — Show  that  Hawthorne's  interest  is  Sin  rather  than  Crime. 
Trace  different  way  in  which  the  Sin  affects  Dimmesdale,  Hester 
Prynne,  Pearl.  What  important  element  in  the  religious  conscious- 
ness of  the  Puritan  does  Hawthorne  ignore  in  his  romance?  (See 
Woodberry 's  Hawthorne.) 

Contrast  the  Moral  Problem  of  The  Marble  Faun  with  that  of  The 
Scarlet  Letter.  "The  genesis  of  sin  in  a  natural  man. "  Does  Haw- 
thorne attempt  a  solution  of  the  problem  of  sin? 


14 

Italian  Art  and  the  Puritan  Romancer.  Study  the  effect  of  Italian 
Art  on  Hawthorne  as  seen  in  The  Marble  Faun.  Compare  also  "Con- 
versations in  Rome  between  an  Artist,  a  Catholic  and  a  Critic,"  by  W. 
E.  Channing,  the  Younger. 

The  Autobiographic  Elements  in  The  House  of  the  Seven  Gables. 
Judge  Pyncheon.  Hav/thorne's  vindictiveness  in  the  portrayal  of 
him. 

Contrast  between  Hawthorne  and  Longfellow  in  their  treatment  of 
Puritan  New  England.  (Longfellow's  Miles  Standish,  New  England 
Tragedies.  H's  Historic  Tales.)  Read  the  Introductory  note  to 
Evangeline  in  the  Cambridge  Edition.  Query:  What  would  Haw- 
thorne's treatment  of  the  story  have  been  and  how  would  it  have  dif- 
fered from  Longfellow's  ? 


LECTURE  IV. 

Longfellow,  the  Poet. 

I.  Longfellow  the  Representative  Poet  of  American  Litera- 
TTJRE. — Reasons  for  considering  him  such.  (1)  Volume  and  variety 
of  his  poetic  work.  (2)  His  practically  exclusive  devotion  to  Poetry. 
(3)  The  wide  appeal  of  his  verse.  In  spite  of  the  critical  reaction 
against  his  poetry,  he  remains  America's  representative  Poet.  A 
question  of  fact,  not  of  theory.  Emerson's  a  rarer  genius,  but  his 
approach  to  beauty  only  on  the  side  of  spiritual  truth,  and  his  main 
literarj'  energy  spent  as  essayist  and  lecturer.  Lowell  in  a  few  poems 
such  as  Commemoration  Ode  reaches  high-water  mark  of  Poetry-  in 
America,  but  his  genius  not  constant  nor  concentrated  upon  Poetry. 
Poe  master  of  a  more  haunting  music  and  a  finer  lyric  rapture,  but  at 
best  only  a  poetic  torso.  Whitman's  genius  more  native  and  elemental, 
— a  greater  potential  poet,  but  often  failed  to  utter  as  poetrj'  what  he 
felt  as  such.  His  "barbaric  yawps"  great  intentions  imperfectly 
realized.  Whether  or  not  we  call  Longfellow  a  great  poet,  he  is  the  na- 
tion's representative  poet. 

.  II.  Influences  that  Shaped  Longfellow's  Poetic  Personality. 
— Early  dehght  in  Washington  Irving.  Bryant  and  feeling  for  Nature. 
Longfellow  not  deeply  read  in  the  well-springs  of  English  Poesy.  Con- 
trast with  Lowell's  intimacy  with  the  Elizabethans,  and  Emerson's 
"great  draughts  of  seventeenth  century  English."  Early  decision 
for  a  Hterary  career.  At  nineteen  appointed  to  the  chair  of  Modem 
Languages  at  Bowdoin  College.     Three  years  of  preparation  in  Europe. 


15 

Acquisition  of  French,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Italian,  and  German. 
Translations  from  Spanish.  Influence  of  Bryant  and  Ticknor.  Spain 
in  American  Literature.  Washington  Irving,  Ticknor,  Longfellow, 
Prescott,  Lea.  Second  Visit  to  Europe  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
Harvard  Professorship  of  Modem  Languages  (1835,  age  twenty-eight). 
Visit  to  Sweden  and  study  of  the  Scandinavian  Languages.  Long- 
fellow's combination  of  Germanic  and  Romance  scholarship.  Its 
possibility  in  his  day  owing  to  the  different  requireiBents  of  scholar- 
ship. The  three  stages  of  the  study  of  modern  languages  and  litera- 
tures in  America:  (1)  Enthusiastic  introduction,  represented  by 
Longfellow.  (2)  Sympathetic  Appreciation,  represented  by  Lowell. 
(3)  Critical  Dissection  ,  represented  by  the  Ph.  Ds.  But  tho  Long- 
felloviT  knew  (sympathetically  not  critically)  the  classics  of  Germanic 
and  Romanic  Literature,  his  genius  Germanic  rather  than  Romanic.  His 
father  considers  German  of  greater  importance  than  Italian  Literature, 
and  advises  him  to  give  preference  to  the  former.  Longfellow  immersed 
in  the  study  of  German  Literature,  especially  the  Romantic  Poets 
during  the  winter  after  his  young  wife's  death  abroad.  (1835.)  Hy- 
perion the  outcome  of  this  experience.  Steeped  in  the  sentiment  of 
German  scenery,  the  Rhine,  Heidelberg,  with  its  romantic  legends  and 
poetic  associations.  Its  sentiment  touched  "Rith  dreamy  sorrow,  the 
German  "Wehmut,"  but  verging  on  sentimentality.  Longfellow's 
sympathy  with  the  German  temper,  its  tenderness  (Innigkeit)  senti- 
ment (Gemueth),  and  lack  of  distinction.  Jean  Paul  Richter  more  to 
him  than  Goethe,  and  Goethe  the  lyric  poet  more  to  him  than  Goethe 
the  critic  of  art  and  life.  Longfellow  a  cult  in  Germany  for  the  same 
reason  that  Poe  is  a  cult  in  France:  each  appealed  to  something  kindred. 
Poe's  attack  upon  Longfellov.^,  the  Frenchman  in  Poe  fighting  the 
German  in  Longfellow?  Poems  of  Longfellow  showing  the  German 
influence.  Comparison  of  Schiller's  "Song  of  the  Bell,"  and  Longfellow's 
song  of  the  "Building  of  the  Ship."  Third  visit  to  Germany.  Met 
Lenau,  and  Freiligrath  (the  best  translator  of  Hiav:atha),  missed 
LThland. 

But  all  this  represents  only  one  side  of  Longfellow's  poetic  develop- 
ment. His  interest  in  native  subjects.  Early  insistence  upon  a 
national  Hterature.  Evangeiine,  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish,  and 
Hiawatha  results  of  this  feeling.  But  he  saw  even  his  American  sub- 
jects thru  the  soft  haze  of  European  Romanticism. 

III.  Current  Criticisms  of  Longfellow's  Poetrt. — (1)  Long- 
fellow an  "Academic  Poet.''  (See  for  this  view  of  him,  Barrett  Wen- 
dell's Literary  History  of  America,  pp.  378-392.)  Influenced  not  by 
what  he  experienced  but  by  what  he  read.  "Inspired  by  beautiful 
records  of  facts  long  since  dead  and  gone."     His  ovra  limited  range  of 


10 

experience.  A  certain  academic  tameness  and  sameness  in  the  lives  of 
the  Cambridge  group  of  -^Titers.  "They  lived  stainless  lives  and  died 
in  their  professors'  chairs  honored  by  all  men."  The  literary  vs.  the 
elemental  poet. 

(2)  Sentiment  and  Fancy  instead  of  Passion  and  Imagination. 

(3)  His  preaching  tendency. 

(4)  Imitation. 

Reading  and  comparison  of  the  follo\\-ing: 

The  "Wreck  of  the  Hesperus"  and  the  "Ballad  of  Sir  Patrick  Spens." 

The  "Village  Blacksmith"  and  a  passage  of  Hawthorne's  "Artist  of 
the  Beautiful." 

"Resignation"  and  Lowell's  "First  Snowfall." 

"The  Slave's  Dream"  and  Byron's  "Dying  Gladiator." 

"The  Secret  of  the  Sea"  and  Whitman's  "With  Husky-haughty 
Lips.  O  Sea!' 

"Excelsior"  and  Tennyson's  "The  Gleam." 

IV.  The  Other  Side. — Longfellow's  important  place  in  the  history 
of  American  culture.  Unlocked  the  treasures  of  European,  especially 
German,  song  and  romance  for  Americans.  A  pioneer  in  the  apprecia- 
tion of  Scandinavian  and  Anglo-Saxon  literature.  His  translations 
from  the  Anglo-Saxon.  Comparison  with  William  Morris.  Long- 
fellow's excellence  as  a  translator.  Influence  of  his  Poets  and  Poetry 
of  Europe. 

His  genuine  medievalism.  Its  pictorial  quality  and  sympathetic 
appreciation  of  the  past. 

His  feeling  for  medieval  Catholicism,  its  legends  and  cathedrals. 
His  unique  position  among  the  Unitarians.  Appreciation  of  the  historic 
aspect  of  Christianity.     "Christus." 

Tho  he  was  an  "academic  poet,"  knowing 

"the  love  of  learning,  the  sequestered  nooks 
And  all  the  sweet  serenity  of  books," 

yet  had  in  addition  the  unacademic  faculty  of  appealing  to  the  common 
heart.     The  Fire-side  Poet.     His  poems, 

"like  house-hold  words,  no  more  depart," 

His  narrative  power  shown  in  ballad,  legend,  idyl,  and  one  source  of 
his  popularity.  Tho  Longfellow  felt  more  than  any  American  poet  the 
appeal  of  the  "silent  voices  of  the  dead,"  yet,  like  Tennyson,  his  final 
word  not  one  of  retrospective  longing,  and  romantic  regret,  but  of 
Faith  in  the  Present,  and  Hope  for  the  Future.  Ten  days  before  his 
death  he  wrote: 


17 

O  Bells  of  St.  Bias,  in  vain 
Ye    call    back   the   past   again. 

The  Past  is  deaf  to  your  prayer. 
Out   of   the   shadows   of   night 
The  world  rolls  into  light 

It  is  day-break  everywhere. 

RECOMMENDED  READING. 

Life:  T.  W.  Higginson,  in  American  Men  of  Letters  series. 
Works:    Any  edition  of   Longfellow's  Poetical  Works,  preferably  the 
Cambridge. 


TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION,  STUDY  AND  ESSAYS. 

Evangeline. 

A  comparison  of  the  historic  facts  with  Longfellow's  presentation  in 
the  poem. 

Hiaivatha.  Read  account  of  acting  of  Hiawatha  by  Ojibway  Indians 
given  by  Miss  Alice  M.  Longfellow  in  Riv.  Lit.  Ed.  of  Evangeline,  and 
quoted  by  Higginson,  p.  316  (Appendix). 

Contrast  Longfellow's  and  Cooper's  idealized  Indians  with  Parkman's 
realistic  picture  in  the  Oregon  Trail. 

Longfellow's  Translations  from  Anglo-Saxon.  Read  his  translations 
of  "Beowvilf's  Journey,"  "The  Grave,"  and  his  poem  on  "The  Dis- 
coverer of  the  North  Cape."  Compare  the  latter  with  the  literal 
translation  from  King  Alfred's  "Orosius"  given  in  the  Bohn  ed.,  or 
quoted  by  Stopford  Brooke  in  his  Early  English  Literatvre.  Compare 
the  metre  of  "  The  Grave"  and  "  Beowulf"  with  Tennyson's  "  Brun- 
nanburgh." 

Longfellow's   Sonnets.     Their  high  poetic  quality. 

Read  especially  Chaucer,  Shakespeare,  Milton,  "The  Sound  of  The 
Sea,"  "In  the  Church-yard  at  Tarrytown,"  "Venice,"  "The  Harvest 
Moon,"  "The  Cross  of  Snow." 

The  Golden  Legend,  as  a  study  of  Longfellow's  medievalism.  Which 
aspects  of  medieval  Catholicism  does  Longfellow  portray  most  sympa- 
thetically? 

Longfellow's  Attitude  toward  Historic  Christianity.  See,  for  plan 
and  scope  of  "Christus,"  prefatory  note  in  Cambridge  edition  and  numer- 
ous references  in  Journal. 

Longfellow  as  a  ballad-poet.  See  "Wreck  of  the  Hesperus,"  "Skeleton 
in  Armor,"  etc.,  etc. 

A  Comparison  between  Longfellow's  and  Whittier's  Anti-Slavery 
Poems. 


18 

LECTURE  V. 
Lowell,  the  Critic. 

I.  Criticism  and  Culture. — Lowell  the  most  cultivated  American 
man  of  letters.  Culture  implies  criticism.  Culture  the  enjojmient  and 
assimilation  of  what  is  best  in  Art  and  Literature.  Criticism  the  organ 
of  culture.  Criticism  not  only  the  effort  to  see  the  thing  as  in  itsef  it  is, 
but  to  know  it  for  what  it  is.  Interpretation  and  appreciation,  the 
positive  function  of  criticism.  Lowell's  power  of  interpretation  and 
appreciation  more  highly  developed  than  his  power  of  selection.  Per- 
haps the  scholar  rather  than  the  critic  in  American  literature.  Lowell 
as  a  man  of  culture  sensitive  to  the  newness  and  rawness  of  America. 
Loved  the  links  that  bind  us  to  the  past,  the  historic  back-grounds  of 
Europe,  their  atmosphere,  perspective  and  vista.  He  misses  the  rich 
mold  of  a  dead  and  buried  past  in  the  soil  of  American  life.  "We  have 
been  transplanted  and  for  us  the  long  hierarchical  succession  of  history 
is  broken.  The  Past  has  not  laid  its  venerable  hands  upon  us  in  con- 
secration." Both  the  sentiment  and  the  allusion  which  it  contains 
would  have  been  impossible  to  Emerson.  Lowell  had  the  historic 
imagination  which  Emerson  lacked.  A  conservative  by  instinct, 
reformer  by  conviction,  he  occupies  middle  ground  between  the  romanti- 
cism of  Irving  and  Longfellow,  and  the  transcendentalism  of  Emerson. 
Lowell  saved  from  the  selfishness  of  mere  culture  by  standing  for  the 
application  of  culture  to  life.  The  scholar  in  politics.  The  man  of 
culture  as  patriot.  Tho  a  representative  of  the  New  England  aristoc- 
racy of  intellect,  with  its  refinement,  breeding,  and  social  distinction, 
he  had  a  home-spun,  at  times  even  coarse  strain  in  his  fibre,  a  whole- 
some earthiness,  robust  masculinity,  that  makes  us  feel,  here  is  not 
only  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar,  but  a  hearty,  healthy,  lovable,  thoroly 
human  man. 

II.  Lowell,  the  M.\n. — Bom  on  Washington's  Birth-day  1819. 
Irving  was  publishing  his  sketch-book  in  England,  Cooper  putting  his 
hand  to  his  first  novel,  Bryant  at  twenty-five,  already  known  as  the 
author  of  "  Thanatopsis,"  trying  to  combine  law  and  poetr\'  in  the  Berk- 
shire Hills,  Emerson  a  junior  at  Harvard,  Longfellow  and  Haw- 
thorne about  to  enter  Bowdoin,  Holmes  a  boy  of  ten  years,  attending 
school  within  a  stone's  throw  of  Lowell's  home.  The  dawn  of  the  New 
England  renaissance.  Lowell  bom  at  an  auspicious  time.  Somewhat 
too  young  to  be  himself  a  pioneer  in  the  moAement,  yet  old  eno\igh  to 
imbibe  its  fullest  influence  when  it  was  at  its  height  in  the  thirties. 
Ehnwood.  Its  associations  -nith  his  life.   (See  Letters,  I  130  and  II  392, 


19 

"My  Garden  Acquaintance,"  "Good  Word  for  Winter,"  "Indian 
Summer  Reverie,"  and  "Cambridge  Thirty  Years  Ago.")  English 
in  his  feeling  for  the  family  homestead.  "A  haunt  of  ancient 
peace.  All  things  in  order  stored."  His  one  of  the  leading  New 
England  families.  Home  life.  College.  HarA^ard  in  the  thirties. 
(See  Chapter  II  of  Hale's  J.  R.  L.  and  his  Friends.)  Longfellow 
one  of  his  professors.  Josiah  Quincy.  (See  Lowell's  "A  Great 
Public  Character.")  Rustication  at  Concord.  Saw  Emerson,  but 
too  conservative  to  appreciate  him  as  yet.  Felt  his  influence 
later.  Had  heard  the  address  on  the  American  Scholar  as  a 
Junior,  and  described  its  effect  subsequently  in  a  well-known  pas- 
sage. Read  Carlyle  at  Concord.  (See  essay  on  Carlyle.)  Studied 
law.  Indecision  as  to  calling;  confidence  in  himself  and  his  literary 
power  which  he  expresses  -with  boyish  frankness  in  the  letters 
of  this  period.  First  volume  of  poems  published  just  after  taking  his 
law  degree.  Second  volume  made  it  clear  that  his  life  was  to  be  given 
to  literature.  Engagement  to  Maria  White.  Made  a  reformer  of 
Lowell.  Anti-slaven,^  work.  First  series  of  "  Biglow  Papers."  His 
friendships.  His  affectionate  nature.  Buoyancy  of  disposition. 
Frankness,  boyishness,  absence  of  affectation.  Sprightliness  of  his 
letters.  Full  of  fun  and  puns.  Loved  to  let  his  ideas  go  a-romping. 
Did  not  keep  his  best  things  back  for  his  publisher.  Lowell  as  lecturer 
and  professor.  (See  Hale's  eighth  chapter  on  the  Lyceum  system.) 
Longfellow's  successor  at  Harvard.  Studies  abroad.  Lectures  on 
Dante,  Old  French,  and  Spanish.  A  more  scholarly  acquaintance  with 
European  literature  than  any  other  American  man  of  letters.  Con- 
flict between  academic  duties  and  literary  productivity.  Editorial 
work.  "Atlantic  Monthly."  "  North  American  Review."  Literary 
result  of  professorship  years.  His  best  critical  essays.  The  war. 
Second  series  of  "Biglow  Papers."  "Commemoration  Ode."  On 
England's  attitude  toward  America,  see  Letters  I,  p.  358.  Life  abroad. 
Love  of  England.  Criticism  of  American  Politics  on  his  return.  See 
Letters  II,  pp.  155-160.  Also  his  poems,  "The  World's  Fair  "  and 
"  Tempo ra  Mutantur."  Active  part  in  politics.  Delegate  to  the  con- 
vention that  nominated  Hayes.  Anti-Blaine  man.  Letters  II,  p. 
169.     Asked  to  Stand  for  Congress.     Presidential  Elector. 

III.  Lowell's  Poetry. — Its  variety:  humorous,  reflective,  satiric, 
lyrical,  dialect  verse.  Limitations  as  lyric  poet.  Encumbered  by 
reflection  and  scholarship.  Lack  of  spontaneity  of  feeling,  not  of  ideas. 
"  Vision  of  Sir  Launfal."  At  his  best  in  the  "  Commemoration  Ode." 
In  too  many  of  his  poems  his  ideas  play  upon  his  subject.  When 
his  deepest  feeling  is  aroused  and  his  subject  plays  full  upon  him  he 
is  a  great  poet. 


20 

IV.  Lowell  as  Essayist.— Our  foremost  literary  critic.  Com- 
parison with  Matthew  Arnold.  A  much  more  scholarly  knowledge  of 
the  older  masters  of  classical  English  than  Arnold.  Take  his  essay  on 
Chaucer  and  compare  with  Arnold's  utter  inability  to  appreciate 
Chaucer's  genius.  But  his  style  too  discursive.  Had  not  Arnold's 
lucidity  and  classic  restraint.  Lowell's  philological  interest.  Pioneer 
in  the  study  of  dialect.  His  political  and  social  essays.  "Abraham 
Lincoln."  "Democrcay."  His  Letters.  Their  freshness  and  frank- 
ness, and  esprit.  Complete  revelation  of  the  man  and  index  to  all  his 
poems  and  essays.     Contrasted  in  this  respect  with  Arnold's  letters. 

RECOMMENDED  READING. 

Lije:  Edward  Everett  Hale,  James  Russell  Lowell  and  his  Friends. 

Charles  Eliot  Norton,  Letters  of  James  Russell  Lowell.  (With 
biographical  connecting  links.) 
Works:  Lowell's  Poetical  Works.  (Cambridge.  Cabinet  or  Household 
Edition.)  "The  Vision  of  Sir  Launfal,"  "Commemoration  Ode," 
"Biglow  Papers,"  "First  Snow-fall,"  "After  the  Burial."  Essays: 
"Chaucer,"  "My  Garden  Acquaintance."  "On  a  Certain  Conde- 
scension in  Foreigners,"  "Abraham  Lincoln,"  "Democracy." 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION,  STUDY  AND  ESSAYS. 

The  "Vision  of  Sir  Launfal."     Its  Romantic  Dress.     Comparison  with 
Tennvson's  "Holv  Grail." 

Compare  its  lesson  with  that  of  Henry  Van  Dyke's  "The  Fourth 
Wise  Man." 

Lowell's  Personality  as  Reflected  in  his  Letters. 

Lowell  as  Humorist. 

The  "Commemoration  Ode". 

Compare  Lowell's  and  ^\^^itman's  passages  on  Lincoln.     (See  "When 
Lilacs  last  in  the  Door-yard  Bloomed,"  and  "Captain,  My  Captain. ")^^ 

Lowell  and  Matthew  Arnold.     Read  Lowell's  "Essay  on  Chaucer, 
and  Arnold's  "Essay  on  the  Study  of  Poetry." 


LECTURE  VI. 

Whitman,  the  Prophet. 

I.  Whitman's  Claim  to  the  Title  of  Prophet.— A  prophet  prop- 
erly not  one  who  predicts,  but  one  who  sees  in  the  Present  the  seed  of 
the  Future.  Whitman  broke  with  the  Past  more  completely  than 
Emerson.  "Solitary,  singing  in  the  West,  I  strike  up  for  a  new 
world."      Interprets    modern,    complex,    democratic    America.      The 


21 

prophet  not  without  honor  save  in  his  own  country,  true  of 
Whitman.  Wrote  for  the  toilers  but  read  by  the  critics.  Long- 
fellow, who  was  much  less  in  sympathy  with  working  men,  more 
read  by  the  very  class  to  whom  Whitman  meant  to  appeal.  His 
uncouth  fonn  partly  responsible.  No  cradle  melodies.  But  a  deeper 
reason.  Most  people  who  work  hard  and  monotonously  want,  when 
they  read,  to  get  away  from  the  drudgery  and  monotony  of  their  life 
to  an  impossible  romantic  fairy  land  of  fiction,  to  find  in  the  book 
what  has  been  left  out  in  real  life.  Romantic  literature  ministers  to 
this  desire;  the  charm  of  the  past  and  the  distant.  Cooper,  Irving, 
Longfellow  of  this  class.  But  a  higher  type  of  writers,  who  make  us 
see  the  ideal  in  the  real,  the  romantic  and  heroic  and  chivalric  and 
noble  in  our  daily  task  and  routine.  To  this  class  Whitman  belongs. 
His  aim  "to  exalt  the  present  and  the  real,  to  teach  the  average  man 
the  glory  of  his  daily  walk  and  trade."     (Song  of  the  Exposition.) 

IL  Personal    Charactekistics. — Born    1819    (Lowell's    year)    in 
Long  Island,  the  Paumanok  of  his  poems. 

"Isle  of  sweet  brooks  of  drinking-water, — healthy  air  and  soil; 
Isle  of  the  salty  shore  and  breeze  and  brine" 

(See  "Starting  from  Paumanok,"  "A  Paumanok  Picture,"  and  the 
passage  beginning  "O  to  go  back  to  the  place  where  I  was  born"  in 
"A  Song  of  Joys.")  Whitman's  not  a  literary  life;  full,  but  not 
strenuous.  Farmboy,  fisherman,  school-teacher,  printer,  editor,  car- 
penter, nurse  in  army  hospitals,  government  clerk.     Love  of  NewYork: 

"City  of  hurried  and  sparkling  waters! 
City  of  spires  and  masts! 
City  nested  in  bays!    My  city!" 

Took  pleasure  in  the  company  of  working  men,  ferry-hands,  'bus 
drivers,  mechanics.  (See  "  Crossing  Brooklyn  Ferry.')  Lived  apart 
from  fashionable  and  literary  circles.  Carpenter  when  he  began 
"  Leaves  of  Grass."  The  Civil  War.  His  experiences  in  the  hospitals. 
His  sympathy  and  womanly  tenderness.  (See  his  letters  to  his  mother.) 
His  magnetism  and  fine  physique.  Drum-taps.  Government  clerk 
after  the  war,  but  dismissed  on  account  of  obscenities  in  "  Leaves  of 
Grass."  Illness  contracted  during  hospital  experience  resulted  in 
stroke  of  paralysis  in  1874.  Lived  until  1892  as  an  invalid,  still 
writing  occasionally,  and  visited  by  his  friends,  among  them  Emerson, 
Longfellow,  and  Burroughs.  Died  in  Camden,  N.  J.,  and  buried  there. 
His  independence  of  character,  indifference  to  business  success,  vag- 
abond spirit.     The  books  that  influenced  him. 

III.  Whitman's  Poetic  Theory. — His  break  with  poetic  tradition. 


22 

Discards  metre  and  rime.  His  "free  recitative,"  rhythmic,  but  not 
bound  by  the  laws  of  verse;  answering  to  the  feeling  of  the  moment, 
using  parallelism,  repetition,  balance.  Whitman  v.ould  substitute  for 
the  embellishments  of  prosody,  the  harmonies  of  Nature,  the  music  of 
grain  and  trees,  the  liquid  wash  of  the  sea  in  his  verse. 

"Metre  or  wit  the  best,  or  choice  conceit  to  wield  in  perfect  rhyme, 

delight  of  singers. 
These,  these,  O  sea,  all  these  I'd  gladly  barter, 
Would  you  the  undulation  of  one  wave,  its  trick  to  me  transfer 
Or  breathe  one  breath  of  yours  upon  my  verse, 
And  leave  its  odor  there. 
Whitman  the  enemy  of  an  exclusive  poetic  vocabulary,  an  exclusive 
poetic  style.     Champions  the  common-place,  the  colloquial,  the  vulgar, 
coarse  and  prosaic  word.     This  has  subjected  him  to  ridicule.     Whit- 
man himself  too  intense  to  see  the  humor  of  his  incongruities. 

His  theory  covering  the  subject-matter  of  poetry  even  more  radical 
than  his  theory  concerning  its  form.     Would  sweep  out  of  poetry  all 
the  world-old  subjects:  romantic  love,  war,  castles,  moonshine,  flower- 
gardens.     The  modern  poet  according  to  Whitman  must  deal  with 
the  Real,  the  Actual,  the  Present,  science,  industrialism,  machinery. 
Contrast  between  Schiller's  "  Song  of  the  Bell  "  with  its  associations 
of  ancient  and  venerable  custom,  and  WTiitman's  "  Song  of  the  Broad- 
axe,"  hewing  its  way  into  the  American  forest,  making  clearings  for 
railroad,  city,  machinery,  democracy,  the  modern  man.     Contrast   also 
Schiller's  lament  over  the  "Gods  of  Greece"  with  Whitman's  brusque: 
"Come,  Muse,  migrate  from  Greece  and  Ionia; 
Placard  "Removed"  and  "To  Let"  on  the  rocks  of  your  snowy 
Parnassus! 
Whitm.an's  substitute  for  the  classic  and  romantic  subject-matter: 
"  I  say  I  bring  thee.  Muse,  to-day  and  here, 
All  occupations,  duties,  broad  and  close. 
Toil,  healthy  toil  and  sweat,  endless,  without  cessation, 
The  old,  old  practical  burdens,  interests,  joys. 
The  family,  parentage,  childhood,  husband  and  wife, 
The  house-comforts,  the  house  itself  and  all  its  belongings,     .     . 
Whatever  forms  the  average,  strong,  complete,  sweet-blooded  man 

or  woman,  the  perfect  longeve  personality 
And  helps  its  present  life  to  health  and  happiness,  and  shapes  its  soul 
For  the  eternal,  real  life  to  come." 

IV.  Whitman's  Poetry  as  Literature. — Tho  Whitman's  quality 
not  primarily  "literary"  but  "vital,"  still  he  produces  his  impression, 


23 

and  conveys  his  vitality  thru  the  vehicle  of  a  literary  form  and 
method,  and  we  have  a  right  to  ask:  What  are  the  characteristics  of 
these?  WTien  really  inspired  and  not  writing  down  to  his  theory,  he 
is  master  of  the  grand  style,  the  majestic  gait  of  the  classics  of  literature. 
Take  lines  like  these: 

Fiom  the  "  Song  of  the  Red-wood  Tree."  (The  whole  poem  has 
this  quality) : 

"  With  Nature's  calm  content,  with  tacit  huge  delight." 
or, 

"  The  vague  and  vast  suggestions  of  the  briny  world,  the  liquid- 
flowing  syllables." 
or, 

"As  at  thy  portals  also  Death, 
Entering  thy  sovereign,  dim,  illimitable  grounds," 
or, 

"  With  husky-haughty  lips,  O  sea!  "  (the  entire  poem  is  flawless.) 
He  is  master  of  the  inevitable  word,  the  unforgettable  phrase.  WTien 
inspired  he  compels  us  to  measure  him  by  the  mighty  ones.  Job,  Homer, 
Eschylus,  Dante,  Shakspeare.  True  in  Whitman  it  is  but  a  step  from 
the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous,  but  also  true,  but  a  step  from  the 
ridiculous  to  the  sublime. 

Absence  of  critical  faculty.  No  capacity  of  self-criticism,  or  self- 
restraint.  His  "catalogs."  WTiitman's  aim  not  to  tell  you  about 
things,  but  to  make  you  see  them  and  feel  them.  The  thing  itself, 
dipped  in  emotion,  received  into  himself,  is  the  poem,  not  what  he 
says  about  it.  He  suggests.  Many  of  his  poems  a  test  of  imagina- 
tive power  in  the  reader.  His  ejaculatory  style.  No  writer  ever 
travelled  so  far  without  verbs.  W'hitman  a  rhapsodist.  His  poems 
improvisations,  ^snth  the  excellences  and  effects  of  improvisation. 

V.  Whitman's  Poetry  as  the  Expression  of  His  Personality. — 
"No  one  will  get  at  my  verses  who  insists  upon  viewing  them  as  a 
literary  performance." 

"  Camerado,  this  is  no  book. 
Who  touches  this  touches  a  man." 

Two  dominant  emotions.  Love  and  "Dilation,"  or  Pride,  Self-assertion 
and  Self-surrender.  His  tremendous  egotism.  The  value  of  the 
individual.  Emerson's  influence.  But  a  stronger  hold  on  personality 
than  Emerson.  "This  America  is  only  you  and  me."  His  ego- 
centricity  modified  by  his  sympathy,  power  of  identification  with 
others.  The  love  of  comrades.  Naturalism.  His  body-worship  a 
protest  against  the  old  dualism  of  Body  and  Soul.     Asserts  identity  of 


24 

Body  and  Soul.  Far  removed  from  materialism.  His  goal  "the 
unseen  moral  essence  of  all  the  vast  materials  of  America."  Ab- 
sence of  ethical  values,  counterbalanced  by  overmastering  passion  for 
service.  "O,  despairer,  here  is  my  neck.  You  shall  not  go  down." 
(cf.  Browning's  Saul.)  Tonic  quality  of  his  verse.  Turbulent,  manly, 
bracing.  His  optimism.  Feeling  about  death.  "Joy,  shipmate, 
Joy." 

RECOMMENDED  READING. 

Biographical  and  Critical:  John  Burroughs,  "Whitman,  a  Study." 

J.  A.  Symonds,  "Walt  Whitman,  a  Study"  (London,  1893),  for 
an  English  view  of  the  poet. 
Works:  Letters  to  His  Mother,  Selected  Poems,  (Canterbury  Edition). 
The  following  poems  are  recommended:  "In  Cabined  Ships  at 
Sea  "  "Song  of  Myself,"  "Song  of  the  Open  Road,"  "Crossing 
Brooklvn  Ferry,"  "Our  Old  Feuillage,"  "Song  of  the  Red-wood 
Tree,"  "Alone  at  a  Ship's  Helm,"  "Vigil  Strange  I  Kept,"  "The 
Wound-dresser,"  "O  Captain,  my  Captain,"  "The  Ox-tamer,^^ 
"Spirit  that  formed  this  Stsne,"  "As  at  thy  Portals  also  Death, 
"Joy  Shipmate,  Joy,"  "Now  Finale  to  the  Shore." 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION,  STUDY  AND  ESSAYS. 

Whitman's  Poetic  Theory.  See  "Lines  to  a  Certain  Civilian  "  "A 
Song  of  Jovs,"  "Bv  Broad  Potomac's  Shore,"  "In  Cabined  Ships."  "Had 
I  the  Choice,"  "Spirit  that  Formed  this  Scene,"  and  the  "Song  of 
the  Exposition,"  and  among  his  Prose,  "A  Backward  Glance  o'er 
Traveled  Roads."  „        .  ,    ,  c^.    „ 

Whitman  as  a  Descriptive  Poet.      "Ox-tamer,"  "Dismantled  Ship, 
"A  March  in  the  Ranks  Hard-pressed,"  "A  Song  of  Joys,"  etc.    Note 
also  the  wonderful   descriptions    of  "Star  Landscapes"  in  Specimen 

Days. 

Civil  War  Experiences.  See  "Drum-taps,"  "Vigil  Strange  I  Kept 
one  Night,"  "The  Wound-dresser,"  and  prose  passages  in  Specimen 
Days  and  his  Letters  to  His  Mother. 

Is  Whitman's  sentiment  as  representative  of  America  as  his  scenery? 
(See  on  this  point  a  suggestion  in  J.  J.  Chapman's  essay  on  WTiitman.) 

Discuss  Whitman's  "catalogs"  (e.  g.,  see  a  "Song  of  Occupations," 
and  the  "Song  of  the  Broad- Axe")  in  the  light  of  Emerson's  saymg: 
"Bare  lists  of  words  are  found  suggestive  to  an  imaginative  and  ex- 
cited mind." 

Whitman's  Prose.     See  Specimen  Days  and  Democratic  Vistas. 

Read  the  "Song  of  the  Red-wood  Tree,"  as  an  example  of  Whit- 
man's nobler  style.  Note  the  effect  of  his  introduction  of  the  dis- 
carded hamadryads  of  mythology  (contrary  to  his  theory).  Also 
the  last  section  of  "Passage  to  India." 

Discuss  Whitman  as  an  American  Donatello,  with  no  conscious- 
ness of  Sin;  See  "Song  of  Myself,"  32,  "I  Think  I  could  Turn  and 
Live  with  Animals,"  and  Specimen  Days,  "A  Sun-Bath-Nakedne,ss. " 

On  the  absence  of  "Literary  Conscience"  in  Whitman,  see  Wendell's 
Literary  History,  "Whitman." 


25 

Does  Whitman  represent  "Democratic  Art?"  See  essays  by  Dowdeu 
and  J.  A.  Symonds. 

Whitman's  rhythms.  Notice  his  poems  w-ith  predominant  dactylic 
movement  (e.  g.,  ''The  Ox-tamer"  with  its  Homeric  ring)  and  those 
with  iambic  movement  ("In  Cabined  Ships  at  Sea"  for  an  early 
example,  and  "With  Husky-haughty  Lips,  O,  Sea!"  for  a  late  one).  Note 
that  the  passages  of  intensest  lyric  feeling  are  also  those  of  greatest 
rhythmic  regularity.  Note  how  he  rarely  changes  from  one  rhythm 
to  another,  but  often  breaks  his  gait,  from  rhythm  to  no-rhythm.  Few 
poems  in  which  both  dactylic  and  iambic  movements  occur. 

The  poems  should  be  read  aloud  for  this  experiment,  the  ear  being 
trained  for  the  dactylic  beat  by,  say,  a  passage  from  Evangeline  or 
Miles  Standish,  for  the  iambic  by  reciting  first  a  few  lines  of  Tftanato'psiii. 

For  the  whole  interesting  profalem  of  the  function  of  rhythm  in  poetry, 
see  Prof.  Gummere's  Origins  of  Poetry. 


The  Class. — At  the  close  of  each  lectuie  a  class  will  be  held  for 
questions  and  further  discussion.  All  are  urged  to  attend  it  and  to 
take  an  active  part.  The  subjects  discussed  will  ordinarily  be  those 
arising  from  the  lecture  of  the  same  evening.  In  centres  in  which  no 
Students'  Association  (see  below)  has  been  formed,  the  class  will 
aflFord  opportunity  for  the  lecturer  to  comment  on  the  papers  sub- 
mitted to  him. 

The  Weekly  Papers. — Every  student  has  the  privilege  of  writing 
and  sending  to  the  lecturer  each  week,  while  the  course  is  in  progress, 
a  paper  treating  any  theme  from  the  lists  given  at  the  end  of  each 
part  of  the  syllabus.  The  paper  should  have  at  the  head  of  the  first 
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The  Students'  Association. — Every  lecture  centre  will  be  greatly 
helped  in  its  work  by  the  formation  of  a  club  or  other  body  of  students 
and  readers  desirous  of  getting  the  stimulus  that  working  in  common 
affords.  This  Students'  Association  will  have  its  own  organization  and 
■arrange  its  regular  programme,  if  possible,  both  before  and  after  as 
well  as  during  the  lecture  course.  The  lecturer  will  always  lend  his 
help  in  diawing  up  programmes,  and,  when  the  meeting  falls  on  the 
day  of  the  lecture,  will  endeavor  to  attend  and  take  part.  Much  of 
the  best  work  of  Extension  is  being  done  through  the  Students' 
Associations. 

The  Examination. — Those  students  who  have  followed  the  course 
throughout  will  be  admitted  at  the  clo.se  of  the  lectures  to  an  exami- 
nation under  the  direction  of  the  lecturer.  Each  person  who  passes 
the  examination  successfully  will  receive  from  the  American  Society 
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thereof. 


VALUABLE  GUIDES  TO  READING  AND  STUDY. 


The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching  has  published,  in 
connectiou  with  its  work,  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  syllabi,  nearly  all  of  which 
are  of  real  value,  independently  of  the  lectures,  for  guiding  home  reading  and 
study.  They  contain  suggestive  outlines  of  the  lectures,  lists  of  books,  and  other 
materia!  of  interest.    The  following  have  been  recently  issued  : 


The  Cities  of  Italy  and  Their  Gift  to  Civilization.    Edward  Howard 

Griggs,  M.A 10  cenU 

English  Writers  of  the  Present  Era.    Frederick  H.  Sykes,  M.A.,  Ph.D.  .  1.5  cents 

The  Divine  Comedy  of  Dante.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 10  cents 

The  Expansion  OF  England.    Cecil  F.  La  veil,  M.A 10  cents 

Wagner  :    The  Mcsic  Drama.    Thomas  Whitney  Surette 15  cents 

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Sociology  in  English  Literature.    J.  W.  Martin,  B.Sc 10  cents 

Personal  and  Social  Development.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A.  ...  10  cents 

TvPES  of  Womanhood  Studied  from  Autobiography.    Edward  Howard 

Griggs,  M.A 10  cents 

Civics.    Frederic  W.  Speirs,  Ph.D 10  cents 

The  American  Negro.    G.  P..  Gleun    William  A.  Blair,  Walter  H.  Page, 

Kelly  Miller,  W.  E.  B.  DuBois,  H.  B.  FrLs?ell 25  cents 

The  Awakening  of  Modern  Europe.    Cecil  F.  Lavell,  M.A 10  cents 

Burns  and  Scott.    Albert  H  Smyth,  B  A 10  cents 

Goethe's"Faust.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 20  cents 

Education  and  Life.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 10  cents 

Moral  Leaders.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.  a 10  cents 

Modern  English  Fiction.    Frederick  H.  Sykes,  M.A. ,  Ph.D 10  cents 

The  Painters  of  Fi/ORENCE.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 15  cents 


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University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


The  Ethics  of  Social  Life 


I.  Individual  Life:  Social  Aims 

in  Personal  Living. 
II.  Marriage  and  the  Home:  So- 
ciety's Interest  in  Personal 
Relationship. 
III.  Education:    Social  Ends  in 
Personal  Development. 


IV.  Labor    and    the    Labor 
Struggle:     Society's  Rela- 
tion to  the  Toilers. 
V.  Capital:    Social  Advantages 
and  Dangers  of  Wealth. 

VI.  Citi.^enship:     Society's    De- 
mands upon  its  Members. 


By 

Leslie  Willis  Sprague,  B.  D. 


No.  258 


Price,  10  cents 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  o(  University  Teaching 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

The  New  Humanism,  |   Edward  Howard  Griggs,  New  York. 

Moral  Education,         J 

Marriage  and  Divorce,  ] 

The  Moral  Instruction  of  Children,    \   Felix  Adler,  New  York. 

The  Rehgion  of  Duty,  J 

The  School  and  Society,  John  Dewey,  New  York. 

Democracy  and  Social  Ethics,  Jane  Addams,  New  York. 

The  Labor  Movement  in  America,  Richard  T.  Ely,  New  York. 

Labor  Problems,  Thos.  S.  Adams  and  Helen  L.  Sumner,  New  York. 

Some  Ethical  Phases  of  the  Labor  Question,  1  Carroll  D.  Wright, 

Outhnes  of  Practical  Sociology,  J     Boston,  New  York. 

The  Social  Unrest,  John  Grahani  Brooks,  New  York. 

History  of  Trade  Unionism,  Sidney  Webb,  London. 

Evolution  of  Modern  Capitalism,  J.  A.  Hobson,  London. 

Citizen  and  Neighbor,  Charles  Fletcher  Dole,  Boston. 

The  American  Commonwealth,  James  Bryce,  New  York. 


Discussion. — At  the  close  of  each  lecture  an  opportunity  will  be 
given  for  general  question  and  discussion,  in  which  all  who  attend  are 
invited  to  take  part. 

The  Class. — Wherever  it  is  practicable  a  class  will  be  formed,  to 
meet  before  or  after  each  lecture,  for  the  closer  contact  of  the  lecturer 
and  his  hearers.  Topics  entered  upon  in  the  lecture  will  be  more  fully 
considered  in  the  class,  and  an  opportunity  given  for  self-expression  on 
the  part  of  the  members.  In  connection  with  the  class,  it  is  very  desir- 
able that  papers  should  be  written  by  the  members,  upon  topics  such 
as  those  stated  in  this  syllabus.  Comment  by  the  lecturer  upon  such 
papers  may  be  made  at  the  class  meeting.  Papers  may  be  of  any  length. 
They  should  be  sent  to  the  lecturer  at  the  office  of  the  Extension  Society 
at  least  two  days  before  the  following  lecture. 

Readings. — The  educational  value  of  this  course  will  be  greatly 
increased  if  each  attendant  will  read  before  the  lectures  as  much  as 
possible  of  those  books,  or  sections  of  them,  referred  to  in  the  syllabus, 
which  treat  of  the  subject  next  to  be  considered. 


Comment. 

"As  democracy  modifies  our  conception  of  life,  it  constantly  raises 
the  Aalue  of  each  member  of  the  community,  however  humble  he  may 
be." — Jane  Addams. 

"The  principal  thing  is  that  marriage  shall  subserve  a  vast  and 
wonderful  social  end;  for  while  the  trees  last,  and  the  hills  and  the 
mountains  remain  just  as  they  are,  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world, 
human  life,  persists  only  in  so  far  as  it  is  renewed,  and  renewal  means 
a  chance  of  improvement." — Felix  Adler. 

"ITie  chief  educational  problem  which  the  nineteenth  century  passes 
on  to  the  twentieth  is,  By  what  means  shall  every  citizen  in  the  nation 
receive  such  a  training  for  body  and  soul  as  shall  enable  him  to  enjoy 
all  the  treasures  of  culture  won  by  past  generations,  and  to  take  part 
in  all  the  activities  of  life  with  intelligence,  energy,  and  beneficence?" 

Thomas  Davidson. 

"This  dream  of  a  day  when  life's  work — even  the  drudgery  and 
routine — may  be  done  with  the  ennobling  sense  that  every  energy  of 
hand  and  brain  helps  the  many  as  it  helps  the  doer,  has  in  it  the  most 
sustaining  of  all  enthusiasms." — John  Graham  Brooks. 

"If  the  capitalist  would  measure  his  profits,  and  the  working-man 
his  wages,  bj'  the  Golden  Rule,  there  would  be  instant  peace.  And 
this  is  the  only  way  to  secure  peace  on  the  basis  of  the  wages  system." 

Washington  Gladden. 

"The  worth  of  the  State,  in  the  long  run,  is  the  worth  of  the  individ- 
uals composing  it." — John  Stuart  Mill. 


LECTURE  I. 
Individual  Life :  Social  Aims  in  Personal  Living. 

1.  Introduction. — Purpose:  to  view  the  salient  features  of  these 
various  social  problems  in  the  light  of  ethical  thought. 

Method:  not  that  of  economics,  history,  sociology,  or  ethical  theory, 
alone;  but  with  the  help  of  all  these,  and  with  the  interest  of  social 
welfare,  to  attempt  to  see  these  problems  in  the  light  of  an  awakened 
conscience. 

(3) 


2.  Prerequisites. — The  democratic  attitude  of  mind.  That  the  indi- 
vidual lives  through  his  relationships.  That  the  end  of  life  is  to  be 
found  in  human  relationships.  That  a  chain  is  no  stronger  than  its 
weakest  link,  even  in  democracy. 

3.  Theories  of  the  Relation  of  the  Individual  and  Society.  Ancient 
idea  that  the  individual  existed  for  the  State.  Modern  idea  that  the 
State  exists  for  the  sake  of  the  individual.  Ethical  idea  that  the 
individual  and  the  State  aUke  exist  for  the  ends  of  the  ethical  life.  The 
individual  cannot  be  the  end,  since  he  has  no  life  apart  from  others; 
nor  can  the  State,  which  is  only  a  mode  of  social  organization.  The 
end  must  be  in  that  which  both  the  individual  and  the  State  ought 
to  serve. 

4.  A  New  Valuation  of  the  Individual. — This  arises  out  of  the  con- 
sciousness of  human  interdependence,  and  the  ethical  ideal  which  it 
inspires.  The  individual  is  seen  to  be  an  indispensable  factor  in  the 
general  whole.  A  consequent  reconsideration  of  the  place  and  fmictioa 
of  heroes  in  society. 

5.  The  Individual  Dependent  upon  Society. — Physical  dependence, 
for  food,  safety,  occupation,  property,  etc.  Intellectual  dependence, 
for  thought,  knowledge,  inspiration.  Moral  dependence,  for  the  con- 
tent and  interpretation  of  conscience,  for  freedom  of  moral  action,  for 
reenforcement  of  private  judgment,  etc. 

6.  Motives  for  Right  Conduct.— These  found  in  the  thought  of  per- 
sonal dependence,  alike  for  the  selfish  and  the  unselfish. 

7.  Society's  Dependence  upon  Personal  Lives. — Society  composed  of 
individuals,  in  groups.  Influence  of  individuals  m  the  smaller  groups 
more  easily  traced.  Influence  of  each  member  of  the  family  upon  the 
home  and  all  its  members;  of  the  strong  man  or  woman  in  the  com- 
munity, for  good  or  evil;  of  the  statesman  or  corruptionist  in  the  state 
or  nation;  of  the  thinker  upon  his  time  and  land,  e.  g.,  Emerson  in 
America;  of  leaders  of  thought  or  action  upon  the  nations  of  the  world. 
What  is  easily  seen  in  the  lives  of  the  great  may  also  be  discovered  in 
the  lives  of  all. 

8.  Ethical  Challenges  of  this  Idea. — To  the  individual  it  gives  a 
motive,  independent  of  all  personal  motives  or  other  sanctions  of  con- 
duct. To  society,  in  its  corporate  acts,  it  gives  the  needed  challenge. 
Not  democracy  alone,  but  all  government  rests,  not  upon  the  consent 
of  the  governed,  but  upon  their  participation  in  the  life  of  which  gov- 
ernment is  the  outward  expression.  Democracy's  passion  for  freedom 
must  become  a  passion  for  life  in  freedom.  Progress  to  be  sought  in 
the  approach  of  every  life  to  the  ethical  ideals  which  all  healthy  con- 
sciences reveal. 


9.  Conclusion. — All  pressing  social  reforms  must  be  reconsidered  in 
the  light  of  the  thought  of  the  organic  nature  of  society.  Persons  and 
classes  must  come  to  seek  their  interests  in  the  welfare  of  the  whole. 
Society,  being  the  third  party  to  every  arrangement,  must  be  considered 
in  every  proposed  reform. 

TOPICS  FOR  CLASS  DISCUSSION. 

The  organic  theory  of  society. 

The  ethical  ends  of  personal  and  social  life. 

Democracy  as  a  form  of  government,  and  as  a  spirit  of  social  life. 

Personal  relationships,  not  only  as  a  means,  but  also  the  end  of  life. 

Society  as  conditioned  by  the  backward  classes. 

How  far,  and  in  what  manner  the  individual  may  transcend  his 
social  limitation. 

The  authority  of  the  ethical  imperative,  based  upon  the  organic 
nature  of  society. 

The  social  vantage-ground,  not  only  as  a  view-point  for  study,  but 
also  a  starting  point  for  common  action. 


LECTURE  II. 

Marriage  and  the  Home :  Society's  Interest  in  Personal 

Relationship. 

1.  Introduction. — Society,  interested  in  the  individual,  must  be  con- 
cerned with  all  relationships  which  affect  the  personal  life.  The  family 
is  more  significant  than  all  other  relations  combined. 

2.  Types  of  Family  Organization. — Needful  to  review  the  past  only 
to  discover  some  fundamental  laws  of  family  life.  Throughout  history 
the  family  has  adapted  itself  to  the  conditions  and  changes  of  social 
life.  Polyandry,  polygamy,  and  monogamy;  the  latter  to  be  accepted 
as  the  basis  of  all  discussion  of  the  home.  The  theory  of  the  family 
has  likewise  adapted  itself  to  the  changes  which  have  occurred  in  the 
habits  of  thought.  Patriarchal  society;  the  romantic  movement; 
biological  culture;  and  the  increasing  social  conscience.  Ethical 
aspects  of  the  different  types  of  organization  and  of  theory  of  the 
family. 

3.  Fundamental  Elements  in  Marriage. — The  most  vital  and  intimate 
of  human  relationships,  between  two  persons  of  opposite  sex.  The 
normal,  legal  and  ethical  means  of  perpetuating  the  life  of  the  race. 
The  only  effective  bond  in  the  maintenance  of  the  home,  needful  for 


6 

the  nurture  of  the  young.     The  establishment  of  a  constituent  social 
unit  in  society. 

Through  one  or  more  of  these  facts  enter  the  different  conceptions 
of  the  family. 

4.  The  Ethics  of  Marriage. — The  ethics  of  the  marriage  relationship 
must  find  fulfillment  in  aU  of  these  interests.  Various  motives  entering 
into  the  personal  interest,  reconciled  and  interpreted  in  the  ethical 
principle  that  each  party  finds  self-fulfillment  in  the  effort  to  bring 
out  the  worth  of  the  other.  Various  motives  for  race  perpetuation, 
culminating  in  the  social  motive,  corrected  and  inspired  by  the  ethical 
principle  of  parents'  dependence  upon  the  effort  made  for  the  child. 
The  maintenance  of  an  household,  and  the  securing  of  a  new  social 
unit,  as  prompted  by  ethical  considerations.  Importance  of  the 
ethical  ideal  of  the  family,  in  the  discussions  of  this  greatest  social 
problem. 

5.  Destructive  Agencies  at  Work  Against  the  Family. — Unethical 
elements  in  the  romantic,  or  personal-end,  ideal;  in  the  biological 
theory;  and  in  the  happiness  idea  of  the  meaning  of  life.  Social  forces, 
such  as  immigration  and  national  expansion;  prosperity  and  the  rising 
standard  and  cost  of  living;  industrial  employment  of  women;  the 
growth  of  cities  and  the  untoward  conditions  of  family  life;  and  the 
temporary  effect  of  public  education  in  promoting  a  wide  disparity  in 
the  culture  and  standards  of  parents  and  children. 

6.  Duration  of  the  Marriage  Bond. — The  good  and  the  evil  sides  of 
divorce.  To  be  studied  not  only  from  the  point  of  view  of  ethical 
theory,  but  not  without  this.  Account  to  be  taken  of  unethical  con- 
ditions.    Causal  and  resultant  evils  of  divorce. 

7.  Direct  Remedies  for  Divorce  Evils. — Recognition  of  divorce  as 
moral  failure.  Divorce,  like  amputation,  as  a  last  resort.  Stimulation 
of  home,  school  and  church,  together  with  legal  acts,  to  the  promotion 
of  wiser  and  more  serious  consideration  of  the  meaning  of  marriage, 
before  entrance  upon  its  duties.  Uniform  divorce  laws  in  all  the  States. 
Provision  against  sudden  remarriage. 

8.  Social  Interest  and  Authority. — Implied  in  universal  social  regu- 
lation. Growing  complexity  of  society  increases  the  importance  of 
State  control.  Necessity  of  reconsideration  of  the  problems  of  woman 
and  child  labor:  of  housing  and  domestic  conditions;  of  public  amuse- 
ments;  and  especially  of  education,  next  to  be  considered, 

TOPICS  FOR  CLASS  DISCUSSION. 

Different  historic  types  of  family  organization. 

The  economic  theory  as  applied  to  the  history  of  the  family. 

Value  of  the  romantic,  and  the  biological  theories  of  the  family. 


The  ethical  theory,  and  the  place  of  the  romantic,  the  biological, 
and  other  theories  in  it. 

Industrial   and   social   conditions   that   militate  against  the   home. 
The  value  of  public  opinion  as  a  social  remedy  for  the  evils  considered. 


LECTURE  III. 
Education :  Social  Ends  in  Personal  Development. 

1.  Introduction. — Democracy,  resting  upon  self-realization;  per- 
sonal development,  upon  education;  and  society  therefore  concerned 
with  education.  This  concern  recognized  in  compulsory  education, 
in  State  control  and  patronage  of  schools.  Need,  not  for  the  defence  of 
these  themes,  but  for  the  application  of  them  to  the  present  conditions 
of  society. 

Much  still  to  be  said  about  education— new  interests  coming  to  the 
foreground.  Questions  of  organization  and  method  left  to  the  educator; 
the  student  of  social  needs  may  undertake  to  discuss  the  content  of 
education  and  the  puqooses  which  it  must  serve. 

2.  Social  Needs  as  Seen  in  the  Conditions  of  To-day. — The  significant 
fact  of  illiteracy,  still  prevalent.  The  great  class,  just  above  the 
illiterate,  who  have  the  merest  beginning  of  an  education.  The  part 
of  the  lower  schools  in  the  education  of  the  American  people.  High 
schools,  as  a  link  between  the  primary,  and  higher  institutions,  and  the 
consequent  waste  in  the  lives  of  many.  Colleges  and  universities,  and 
the  social  function  they  fulfill. 

3.  Dominant  Interests  in  Education. — The  practical  ends,  upper- 
most in  the  lower  schools.  Scholastic,  or  professional  ends,  served  by 
the  higher  institutions.  Culture  ends,  as  influenced  by  a  commercial 
and  industrial  age. 

4.  Influences  Affecting  these  Interests. — Popular  demand  for  educa- 
tion for  the  ends  of  a  livelihood.  Academic  standards  and  demands 
made  by  colleges  upon  high  schools,  and  through  them  upon  primary 
education.     The  culture  impulse  in  the  new  education. 

5.  Resulting  Tendencies. — President  Harper's  characterization: 
greater  variety,  greater  depth,  more  systematic,  more  scientific,  and 
more  ethical.  There  may  be  noted  also,  increased  interest  in  universal 
education,  slight  advances  in  education  for  vocation,  growing  interest 


in  adult  education,  and  a  gratifying  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  press 
and  magazines  to  become  more  educational.  Encouraging  outlook 
upon  the  educational  world. 

6.  Present  Educational  Problems,  from  the  View-Point  of  Social 
Ethics. — That  of  reaching  all  citizens  of  all  classes.  That  of  adaptation 
to  the  life  needs  of  all  classes.  The  problem  of  culture,  initiation  into 
the  life  of  the  race,  and  freeing  the  powers  of  the  individual.  The 
adaptation  of  the  culture  interest  to  those  of  vocation  and  environment. 
The  essential  and  universal  interests  which  must  not  be  overlooked. 
For  the  realization  of  these,  the  place  of  literature,  history  and  science 
in  the  study-course.  The  problem  of  ethical  education.  Peculiar 
difficulties  in  the  American  schools.  The  way  of  solution,  as  opened 
through  direct  and  indirect  ethical  instruction. 

7.  Ethical  Foundation  of  The  Social  Demands  upon  Education. — 
The  individual's  right  to  the  largest  and  best  life.  The  rights  of  those 
immediately  related  to  the  individual.  The  rights  of  the  commimity 
in  which  the  individual  shall  live.    The  larger  rights  of  humanity. 

8.  Social  Interest  in  Personal  Development. — The  strength  and 
richness  of  the  State  and  community,  dependent  upon  the  fullness 
of  personal  life.  The  higher  realization  of  personal  relationship,  need- 
ful for  a  more  secure  and  profitable  social  life.  Progress  in  life,  more 
than  in  material  products,  the  ethical  end  of  society,  to  be  secured  only 
through  progress  in  personal  living.  The  challenge  and  direction  of 
education  afforded  in  this  social  view. 

9.  Some  Practical  Conclusions. — Need  of  increased  effort  on  the  part 
of  most  communities.  Opportunities  for  private  initiative,  benefi- 
cence, and  effort.  Challenge  to  all  direct  or  indirect  educational 
agencies.     Need  of  adult  education. 

TOPICS  FOR  CLASS  DISCUSSION. 

Educational  conditions  generally,  and  especially  in  the  local  com- 
munity. 

Relative  claims  of  the  different  interests  in  education. 

Unconscious  influence  of  the  type  of  civihzation  upon  educational 
ideals. 

Significance  and  value  of  present  tendencies  in  education. 

The  demands  of  ethics  upon  the  public  school. 

Relative  claims  of  the  parent  and  the  State  in  the  direction  of  the 
child's  preparation  for  life. 

Special  agencies  for  the  education  of  the  backward  classes. 

The  social  motive  in  personal  culture. 

Educational  value  of  vocation,  and  means  of  its  enhancement. 


LECTURE  IV. 

Labor  and  the  Labor  Struggle :  Society's  Relation  to  the 

Toilers. 

1.  The  Labor  Movement. — This  is  an  indefinite  and  inclusive  term, 
under  which  are  described  a  number  of  demands  and  impulses,  which 
tend  in  a  common  direction.  Unionism,  because  the  most  conspicuous 
tendency,  falsely  considered  to  be  the  labor  movement.  Socialism, 
prominent  in  the  WTitings  of  students  of  labor,  yet  only  part  of  the  labor 
movement.  Legislation,  regulating  hours  and  conditions  of  labor, 
another  aspect.  The  part  taken  by  employers  of  the  better  sort  in  the 
movement  of  labor.  Results  of  agitation,  in  improved  conditions  under 
which  labor  is  performed,  and  in  rising  standard  of  living. 

All  of  these  aspects  must  be  regarded ;  when  the  labor  movement 
becomes  a  purpose,  an  eflfort,  and  a  tendency,  and  its  consideration  is 
freed  of  prejudice  and  bitterness. 

2.  The  Labor  Problem. — Various  problems  are  included  under  this 
term:  such  as  that  of  organization  of  labor,  appealing  to  labor  leaders; 
of  unorganized  labor,  a  serious  social  question;  the  industrial  employ- 
ment of  women,  with  its  advantages  and  dangers;  child  labor,  with  its 
effects  upon  the  future  of  the  race,  etc. 

The  labor  problem  becomes  a  vast  social  problem,  concerning  citizens 
more  even  than  laborers  and  employers. 

3.  Historic  Development  of  The  Labor  Problem. — The  present  issues 
arise  out  of  modem  conditions.  "Three  ways  of  association  of  labor 
and  capital:  slavery,  the  wage  system,  and  cooperation."  (Gladden). 
Rather,  slavery,  individual  enterprise,  and  the  wage  system  mark  the 
evolution  of  industry.  Causes  for  the  breaking  up  of  the  slave  system, 
and  the  downfall  of  individual  enterprise.  Rise  of  the  wage  system, 
its  acceleration  by  the  introduction  of  machiner}\  Attempts  to  solve 
the  labor  problem  by  the  abolition  of  the  wage  system.  Its  probable 
continuance,  however  modified.  All  consideration  may  rest  upon 
this  basis. 

4.  Trade  Unionism. — The  outcome  of  the  wage  system  and  develop- 
ment of  industry  through  the  use  of  machinery.  Mediaeval  guilds 
and  modem  labor  unions  contrasted.  Reasons  for  the  change  in  organi- 
zation. Utopian  schemes  which  preceded  the  organization  of  labor 
on  present  lines.  The  significance  of  unionism  when  seen  in  the  his- 
toric light. 

5.  Democracy  and  The  Labor  Problem. — The  ferment  of  a  new 
idealism.     Higher  demands  of  personal  life.     Social  valuation  of  indi- 


10 

viduals.  Significance  of  the  humanitarian  enthusiasm  of  the  past 
century.  Effects  of  the  abolition  of  slavery  upon  the  ideals  of  labor. 
The  ethical  element  in  the  demands  made  by  and  for  labor. 

6.  Social  Interest  in  the  Toilers. — Expressed  in  legislation  and 
agitation,  in  education  and  reform.  Present  need  of  a  social  view  of 
the  labor  problem,  as  distinguished  from  class  views.  Recognition  of 
the  three  parties  to  the  struggle,  especially  in  case  of  strikes — labor, 
capital,  and  the  community.  Devices  for  automatic  or  compulsory 
arbitration;  representation  of  the  community  in  the  councils  of  settle- 
ment. 

7.  The  Demands  of  Social  Ethics. — First  duty,  to  desire  to  remove 
the  evils.  Self-engrossment  and  indifference,  the  sin  of  all.  Ethical 
demands  upon  the  prosperous  classes.  Demands  upon  labor  organi- 
zations; the  claims  of  unorganized  labor.  The  duty  of  labor  leaders. 
Need  of  reform  in  partisan  politics. 

8.  Steps  Towards  Solution. — Mutual  understanding  and  consider- 
ation between  labor  and  capital.  Each  recognizing  the  claims  of  the 
other.  Methods  of  association,  and  cooperation.  Intelligent  public 
opinion,  and  sympathetic  appreciation  of  injustice  suffered  by  labor, 
with  open  criticism  of  false  programs.  Sane  and  effective  legislation, 
as  the  one  way  open  for  social  action.  The  lesson  of  history,  that  social 
and  industrial  progress  must  be  slow.  No  Utopian  dream  to  be  real- 
ized; but  the  ethical  awakening  of  humanity  might  end  many  of  the 
evils,  and  open  the  way  to  hannonious  readjustment.  The  call  to 
every  educational  agency,  to  foster  a  wise  public  opinion. 

TOPICS  FOR  CLASS  DISCUSSION. 

The  relative  importance  of  the  various  elements  which  enter  into 
the  labor  movement. 

The  significance  of  the  different  problems  which  enter  into  the  labor 
problem. 

The  rights  and  wrongs  of  labor  unionism. 

The  social  interest  in  labor,  as  seen  in  the  industrial  employment  of 
women  and  children. 

The  relation  of  the  labor  movement  to  socialism. 

The  effects  of  successful  unionism  upon  unorganized  labor. 

Criticism,  and  possible  modifications,  of  the  wage  system. 

Cooperation  and  profit-sharing. 

Ethical  and  unethical  elements  in  the  demands  of  labor. 

Ethical  demands  of  the  labor  problem  upon  citizenship. 


11 

LECTURE  V. 
Capital :  Social  Advantages  and  Dangers  of  "Wealth. 

1.  Introduction. — Each  age  characterized  by  the  predominance  of 
some  one  quality;  nomadic,  agrarian,  militant,  etc.  The  present 
marked  by  industry,  the  age  of  the  machine.  The  problem  of  life  for 
the  millions  has  shifted  from  the  field,  the  camp,  and  the  workshop,  to 
the  factory.  The  ascent  of  man  is  marked  by  the  rise  of  property 
rights  and  possession.  Property,  through  economic  changes,  shifted 
from  land  and  slaves,  to  machinery  and  materials  for  its  use.  To  the 
machine  is  due  modern  industrial  progress. 

2.  Wealth  and  Capital  Distinguished. — For  the  present  discussion 
we  may  regard  wealth  as  the  accumulation  of  all  things  needful  for 
human  well-being;  and  capital  as  wealth  industrially  employed — a 
distinction  needed  in  the  controversy  of  the  rich  and  the  poor.  Con- 
sideration of  wealth  not  industrially  used;  the  real  harm  of  luxury, 
the  false  standard  it  creates,  and  the  injurious  withdrawal  of  capital 
from  production.  Society's  interest  in  the  use  of  unproductive  wealth. 
Need  of  consideration  never  greater  than  now. 

3.  Capitalist  and  Employer. — Wealth  of  the  working  classes,  its 
employment  by  others.  Increasing  numbers  of  laborers,  with  decreas- 
ing numbers  of  employers.  Social  interests  of  capital  centering  in 
fewer  individuals. 

4.  Relation  of  Labor  to  Capital. — With  every  advance  of  machinery, 
labor  increasingly  dependent.  Larger  and  larger  capital  needed  in 
every  enterprise.  Increasing  difficulty  of  cooperative  labor  associa- 
tions.    Untruth  of  the  statement  that  labor  is  the  producer  of  wealth. 

5.  Dependence  of  Labor  upon  Industrial  Capacity. — Greater  indus- 
tries call  for  ever  greater  talents  to  direct  them.  Need  of  revision  of 
standards  by  which  great  men  are  estimated.  The  truly  great  man 
is  he  who  can  direct  human  energy  and  organize  inanimate  material 
so  as  to  fulfill  the  needs  of  humanity.  The  honor  and  reward  which 
society  owes  such  men.  Need  also  of  distinguishing  talent  for  pro- 
ductive creation  and  talent  for  self-aggrandizement.  What  society 
owes  the  latter. 

6.  Dependence  of  Capital  upon  Labor. — Machinery  calls  for  the 
machinist,  complex  industry  for  skill.  These  as  well  as  capital  and 
industrial  talent  demand  their  reward.  Economics,  with  its  wage- 
fund,  has  often  lost  sight  of  some  greater  principles.  Relation  of  the 
wage-fund  to  the  cost  of  improved  machinery,  investments  of  profits 
in  extension  of  enterprise,  and  the  withdrawal  of  capital  for  private 


12 

consumption  or  public  philanthropy.  Need  of  these  in  the  develop- 
ment of  society,  and  the  cost  at  which  they  may  be  gained.  Ethico- 
economical  question  whether  investment  in  labor,  and  an  improved 
humanity  is  not  as  important  and  profitable  as  investment  in  machinery 
and  new  enterprise.  The  rapid  expansion  of  industry  forces  the  im- 
portance of  this  question. 

7.  The  Just  Wage. — The  contention  of  labor  that  it  does  not  receive 
its  proper  share  of  profits.  How  to  secure  the  equitable  division  is  the 
problem  of  economics  and  ethics,  as  of  labor.  The  increase  of  money 
wages  and  value.  The  iron  law  of  wages  thus  disproved.  Demands 
of  a  higher  ethical  law.  Not  only  the  laborer's  industrial  value  to  be 
considered,  but  his  social  value,  and  his  value  to  himself.  Ethics 
proposes  no  program,  but  it  may  formulate  the  demand — that  the 
laborer,  through  his  toil,  shall  be  enabled  to  live  a  human  life,  with 
the  needed  elements  of  comfort  refinement,  culture  and  virtue.  Con- 
sequent demand  that  toil  itself  shall  contribute  to  the  well-being  of 
the  toiler. 

8.  Capitalist's  Responsibility  for  Labor. — Society  undertakes  to 
deliver  labor  to  the  employer  with  needed  capacity,  health  and  educa- 
tion. It  guards  it  in  unemployed  hours,  and  cares  for  those  who  fail. 
What  shall  be  demanded  in  return?  A  social  ideal  of  labor  inevitable, 
— slavery,  a  permanent  serving  class,  industrial  selection  with  society 
caring  for  the  unfit,  or  the  development  of  men  through  labor  so  as  to 
arise  the  whole  social  body.  Social  interests  and  those  of  capital,  one 
at  last. 

9.  The  Duties  of  Capital. — Duties  to  society,  which  secures  it  and 
depends  upon  it.  Responsibility  for  social  welfare.  Duties  to  labor, 
and  through  labor  to  society,  to  secure  the  welfare  of  the  laborer; 
human  association  with  him;  care  for  his  intellectual  and  moral  devel- 
opment;  to  further  his  development  through  sharing  of  responsibility. 

10.  Conclusion. — Society  dependent  upon  capital,  and  in  turn  makes 
it  possible.  Without  wealth,  no  progress;  with  wealth  WTongly  used, 
worse  than  none.  Need  of  a  sane  and  commanding  public  opinion 
concerning  the  ethics  of  wealth.  The  final  word  of  economics  and 
ethics  may  not  yet  be  uttered,  but  enough  is  clear  to  serA^e  for  guidance. 

TOPICS  FOR  CLASS  DISCUSSION. 

The  economics  and  ethics  of  luxury,  or  social  interest  in  unproductive 
wealth. 

The  interdependence  of  labor  and  capital. 

The  claims  of  society  upon  capital,  and  the  grounds  upon  which 
these  claims  rest. 

The  social  value  of  industrial  talent. 


13 


Does  the  laborer  receive  an  equitable  share  of  the  profits  of  industry? 
The  capitalist's  responsibility  to  society  for  the  well-being  of  labor. 
The  ethical  ideal  for  the  laboring  class. 
The  ethics  of  industrially  employed  wealth. 


LECTURE  VI. 
Citizenship :  Society's  Demands  upon  Its  Members. 

1.  Introduction.— The  ethical  attitude  towards  society.  Confident 
optimism  and  inconsiderate  criticism  form  the  extremes  between 
which  the  ethical  view  must  be  sought.  Two  classes  of  reformers, 
the  reconstructionists  and  those  who  seek  improvements  upon  the 
basis  of  society  as  it  is.  Advantages  of  the  latter  method.  Citizenship 
involves  the  attitude  of  the  citizen  towards  the  problems  of  society. 
The  right  attitude  to  be  gained  from  history,  economics,  anthropology, 
and  especially  ethics.  Need  of  looking  more  often  at  thhigs,  not  as 
they  are,  but  as  they  ought  to  be.  Ethical  demand  that  society  shall 
be  so  constituted  that  the  potential  life  of  every  citizen  shall  become 
actual.  Social  richness  due  to  the  few  fulfilled  lives;  social  poverty 
through  the  many  that  are  unfulfilled.  The  question  whether  social 
conditions  tend  to  fulfill  individual  potentialities  makes  satisfaction 
with  the  present  order  difficult,  and  calls  for  effort  for  improvement. 

2.  Citizenship  Defined. — Citizenship  is  not  the  suffrage  and  not 
political  action,  since  society  is  more  than  the  State.  It  is  the  supreme 
fact  of  life,  since  it  includes  all  else.  The  life  of  the  individual  in 
humanity. 

3.  Theories  of  the  State. — Significant  change  in  modem  thought. 
Older  view  of  the  State  as  the  governing  body.  Rousseau's  theory 
of  social  contract.  The  evolutionary  and  organic  view.  Citizenship, 
interpreted  in  the  light  of  the  organic  view.  The  indissolubiUty  of 
the  civic  tie. 

4.  The  Duties  of  Citizenship. — Citizenship  to  be  regarded  as  a  duty 
rather  than  a  right;  no  longer  formal,  but  vital.  Everj'  act  of  life 
clothed  with  the  majesty  of  kings.  Every  duty  of  life  becomes  a  social 
duty.  The  good  state  impossible  without  good  men.  The  dangerous 
citizen  often  found  in  respected  classes.  Duties  of  citizenship  involve 
the  home,  and  therefore  include  women.  To  value  the  home  for  what 
it  means  personally  is  to  think  of  it  too  narrowly.  The  duties  of  work 
and  business  are  also  those  of  citizenship.  Pastimes  and  amusements 
also  involved. 


14 

5.  The  Political  Sphere  of  Citizenship. — The  nation  overshadowing 
lesser  communities.  America's  political  weakness  consequently  seen 
in  the  cities.  Duties  begin  near  at  hand.  The  nearer  concern  is  the 
more  vital.  Relative  importance  of  local  and  national  interests.  The 
interdependence  of  communities,  and  the  widening  circle  of  civic 
interest  and  action. 

6.  The  Present  Needs  of  American  Citizenship. — A  consecrated 
social  interest,  and  an  enUghtened  public  opinion.  Obstacles  in  the 
way  of  their  attainment.  Need  of  study  of  city  and  national  problems, 
and  place  of  such  study  in  school  and  college.  The  value  of  political 
parties,  and  the  weakness  of  non-partisanship.  Separation  of  local 
and  national  politics,  and  difficulties  in  the  way.  Development  of 
civic  interest,  pride  and  loyalty — how  to  be  effected. 

7.  The  Ethical  Interpretation  of  Citizenship. — Civic  duties,  like  all 
others,  have  reflex  action  upon  the  individual.  To  effect  the  best  one 
must  develop  with  himself  the  best,  and  by  seeking  to  do  so  self- 
development  is  gained.  The  test  of  citizenship  in  the  growth  of  the 
citizen.  Self-interest  and  altruism  reconciled  by  the  ethical  view 
of  life. 

8.  Social  and  Personal  Ethics. — Each  man's  place  of  service,  where 
he  is.  Citizenship  is  a  sphere,  the  centre  of  which  is  everywhere.  The 
field  or  shop  as  near  the  heart  of  the  nation  as  is  the  Capitol.  The  dignity 
which  this  view  gives  to  every  activity.  The  moral  commandment 
which  inheres  in  this  view.  Ethics  of  social  life  bear  back  upon  the 
individual.  Bond  with  the  past  and  the  future.  Each  called  to  take 
his  place  in  an  ascending  humanity.  The  moral  challenge  of  social 
ethics. 

9.  Conclusion  to  the  Series  of  Lectures. — Review  of  what  has  been 
attempted.  Smnmary  of  the  conclusions  reached.  Effort  to  bring 
up  into  consciousness  much  that  is  ignored.  Emphasis  upon  the  place 
of  individuals  in  the  social  life,  and  the  demands  of  society  upon  all  of 
its  members. 

TOPICS  FOR  CLASS  DISCUSSION. 

The  ethical  attitude  towards  society,  contrasted  with  other  attitudes. 

Considerations  of  various  definitions  of  citizenship. 

The  duties  of  citizenship,  and  the  ethical  laws  upon  which  they  rest. 

The  relative  importance  of  local  and  national  affairs  in  the  personal 
and  social  interests  of  the  individual. 

The  greatest  present  demand  upon  American  citizenship. 

Comment  on  the  ethical  interpretation  of  citizenship,  as  suggested 
in  section  VIII  of  the  outline. 

The  relation  of  personal  and  social  ethics. 

The  moral  challenge  of  an  ethical  view  of  society 


15 

TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  WRITTEN  REPORTS. 

1.  Review  and  discuss  the  contents  of  Chapters  II  and  III  of  Griggs' 
Neio  Humanism,  and  the  Introduction  to  Addams'  Democracy  and 
Social  Ethics,  in  the  Hght  of  section  IV,  V,  and  VI  of  Lecture  I. 

2.  Make  a  study  of  Chapters  III  and  IV  of  Addams'  Democracy  and 
Social  Ethics,  and  of  Adler's  Marriage  and  Divorce,  and  compare  the 
conclusions  with  those  of  Lecture  II. 

3.  Outline  the  history  of  the  organization  of  the  family,  as  traced 
by  Howard's  Matrimonial  Institutions. 

4.  Write  a  careful  review  and  study  of  Griggs'  Moral  Education,  or 
of  Adler's  Moral  Instruction  of  Children. 

5.  Review  and  discuss  Chapter  VI  of  Addams'  Democracy  and 
Social  Ethics,  together  with  Chapter  III  of  Davidson's  Education  of 
tlie  Wage-Earners. 

6.  Trace  the  history  of  labor  organizations,  as  told  in  Webb's 
History  of  Trade  Unionism,  and  Ely's  Labor  Movement  in  America. 

7.  Write  an  abstract  of  Chapters  VIII  to  XI,  inclusive,  of  Adams' 
and  Sumner's  Labor  Problems. 

8.  Study  Chapter  III  of  Wright's  Some  Ethical  Phases  of  the  Labor 
Question,  and  compare  it  with  Chapter  XIII  of  Adams'  and  Sumner's 
Labor  Problems. 

9.  Write  an  Outline  of  Chapters  XV,  XVII,  and  XX  of  Wright's 
Practical  Sociology,  and  compare  their  conclusions  with  those  of  Lec- 
ture V. 

10.  Write  a  review  of  Hobson's  Evolution  of  Modern  Capitalism. 

11.  Write  an  essay  on  the  relation  of  social  and  industrial  problems 
to  the  duties  of  citizenship. 

In  addition  to  the  -writing  of  at  least  one  paper,  upon  a  topic  selected 
from  the  list  given  above,  it  is  desirable  that  each  student  shall  write  an 
outline  report  of  each  lecture,  together  with  such  criticism  as  he  is  able 
to  make  of  it.  These  reports  may  be  handed  to  the  lecturer  at  the 
time  of  the  succeeding  lecture,  and  they  will  be  considered  in  estimating 
the  credit  to  be  given  the  student  for  the  work  of  the  course. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Landmarks  of  Modern  History 

1.  The  Rise  of  Russia:  Peter  the      4.  Napoleon   and    the    Waterloo 


Great. 

2.  The  Rise  of  Prussia:  Frederick 

the  Great. 

3.  The    Expansion    of    England 

During  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury. 


Campaign. 

5.  The  Unity  of  Italy. 

6.  Bismarck  and  the  Founding  of 

the  German  Empire. 


By 

J.  Travis  Mills,  M.  A. 

Staff  Lecturer  in  History  of  the  Cambridge,  the  London  and  the  American 
Societies  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching 


No.  259 


Price,  10  cents 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching, 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphi*,  Pa. 


The  Class. — At  the  close  of  each  leeture  a  class  will  be  held  for 
questions  and  further  discussion.  All  are  urged  to  attend  it  and  to 
take  an  active  part.  The  subjects  discussed  will  ordinarily  be  those 
arising  from  the  lecture  of  the  same  evening.  In  centres  in  which  no 
Students'  Association  (see  below)  has  been  formed,  the  class  will 
afford  opportunity  for  the  lecturer  to  comment  on  the  papers  sub- 
mitted to  him. 

The  Weekly  Papers. — Every  student  has  the  privilege  of  writing 
and  sending  to  the  lecturer  each  week,  while  the  course  is  in  progress, 
a  paper  treating  any  theme  from  the  lists  given  at  the  end  of  each 
part  of  the  syllabus.  The  paper  should  have  at  the  head  of  the  first 
sheet  the  name  of  the  writer  and  the  name  of  the  centre.  Papers 
may  be  addressed  to  the  lecturer,  University  Extension,  iii  South 
Fifteenth  street,  Philadelphia. 

The  Students'  Association. — Every  lecture  centre  will  be  greatly 
helped  in  its  work  by  the  formation  of  a  club  or  other  body  of  students 
and  readers  desirous  of  getting  the  stimulus  that  working  in  common 
affords.  This  Students'  Association  will  have  its  own  organization  and 
arrange  its  regular  programme,  if  possible,  both  before  and  after  as 
well  as  during  the  lecture  course.  The  lecturer  will  always  lend  his 
help  in  diawing  up  programmes,  and,  when  the  meeting  falls  on  the 
day  of  the  lecture,  will  endeavor  to  attend  and  take  part.  Much  of 
the  best  work  of  Extension  is  being  done  through  the  Students' 
Associations. 

The  Examination. — Those  students  who  have  followed  the  course 
throughout  will  be  admitted  at  the  close  of  the  lectures  to  an  exami- 
nation under  the  direction  of  the  lecturer.  Each  person  who  passes 
the  examination  successfully  will  receive  from  the  American  Society 
for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching  a  certificate  in  testimony 
thereof. 


LECTURE  I. 

The  Rise  of  Russia — Peter  the  Great. 

Contrast  between  France  and  Russia  in  1689.  The  "bonds  which 
made  Russia  a  state  were  factors  of  severance  from  Western 
Europe." 

Early  history  of  Russia :  The  Normans  and  the  Mongols :  Kief, 
Moscow. 

Russia  at  the  accession  of  Teter  was  Asiatic  rather  than 
European. 

National  tendencies :  unity,  expansion,  conservatism. 

Peter's  birth  (1672).  The  Revolutions  of  his  boyhood.  Sophia 
and  Galitzin  supreme.  Fall  of  Sophia — Peter's  reign  begins 
(1689).     St.  Simon's  description  of  Peter. 

Diverse  views  of  his  character :  contrast  with  his  surroundings ; 
his  energy ;  industry  ;  paradoxical  mixture  of  strength  and  weak- 
ness ;  impulsiveness ;  boyish  gaiety ;  lack  of  self-control ;  vices  aud 
crimes  ;  versatility  ;  "acceptivity"  ;  buffoonery.  His  lack  of  Ideal- 
ism :  to  him  civilization  meant  material  and  not  moral  progress. 

Foreign  policy :  he  aims  to  reach  the  sea. 

Sweden  and  Turkey. 

Charles  XII  and  Peter :  a  comparison  aud  contrast.     Narva. 

Charles  arbiter  of  Europe  (1707).  Pultowa  (1709)  and  its 
results. 

War  with  Turkey:  Peter's  escape  at  the  Pruth  (1711). 

Peace  with  Sweden  at  Nystadt  (1721)  :  Russian  gains. 

Eastern  conquests  at  the  expense  of  Persia. 

Internal  reforms :  Peter  aims  to  "build  a  bridge  between  Europe 
and  Asia" ;  his  power  of  "hurry"  and  its  results. 

Centralization:  four  factors  of  opposition.  (1)  The  Streltsi 
and  their  fate.  (2)  The  Church  :  abolition  of  the  Patriarchate  and 
founding  of  the  Holy  Synod.  (3)  The  old  nobility  :  substitution 
of  new  men ;  reorganization  of  the  administration ;  the  tragedy  of 
Alexis.  (4)  The  semi-independent  Cossacks — their  subjugation. 
Mazeppa. 

Education :  reform  of  the  Calendar ;  emancipation  of  women : 
formation  of  a  new  language ;  St.  Petersburg  "opens  a  window  to- 
wards the  west."     Failures  and  successes. 

(3) 


4 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

llassall.     The  Balance  of  Power,  1715-89. 

Kambaud.     History  of  Russia. 

Morfill.     Russia,  Story  of  the  Nations  Series. 

Browning.     Peter  tlie  Great. 

Browning.     Charles  XII. 

Waliszewski.     Peter  the  Great. 

Motley.     Peter  the  Great. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Summarize  the  internal  reforms  effected  by  Peter. 

2.  Contrast  the  character  and  career  of  Peter  the  Great  with 
those  of  Charles  XII. 

3.  With  what  success  did  Peter  follow   the  national  policy  of 
expansion  in  Europe? 


LECTURE  II. 

The  Rise  of  Prussia  -Frederick  the  Great. 

Early  history  of  Brandenburg — the  IlohenzoUerns. 

The  Great  Elector  (1640-88)  :  his  benevolent  despotism;  expan- 
sion of  territory. 

The  title  of  King  conferred  upon  Frederick  I  (1700)  ;  Frederick 
William  I  (1713-40),  the  "second  foiuider  of  modern  Prussia";  he 
aims  at  practical  aggrandizement  directed  by  a  military  mon- 
archy ;  his  character ;  quarrels  with  his  son. 

Frederick  the  Great  (1740-86)  :  his  miserable  j'outh ;  "reconcilia- 
tion" with  his  father  ;  marriage  ;  tastes  and  associates — Voltaire ; 
private  character — comparison  to  his  father  ;  versatility  ;  industry  ; 
greatness  in  adversity ;  popiilarity  with  his  soldiers. 

(a)  Years  of  War  (1740-63). 

The  "Pragmatic  Sanction."  Maria  Theresa — her  character  and 
influence.    War  of  the  Austrian  Succession  (1740-8). 

Why  Frederick  invaded  Silesia :  ambition,  hereditary  claims, 
provocation,  the  line  of  least  resistance,  preparedness. 

Frederick's  shameless  diplomacy.  Maria  Theresa's  resolution. 
Kaunitz.  The  Revolution  in  historic  alliances.  Great  coalition 
against  Prussia. 

The  Seven  Years'  War  (1756-63)  :— 

Causes  of  Frederick's  successful  defense :   English  help ;  Fred- 


erick  his  own  "capital" ;  his  splendidly  trained  army ;  undivided 
counsels ;  unscrupulous  finance ;  Frederick's  personality  and  mili- 
tary genius ;  division  among  the  allies. 

Frederick  as  a  general:  his  defeats:  Kolin  (1757),  Hochkirchen 
(1758),  Kunersdorf   (1759). 

Examples  of  his  victories:  Rossbach,  Leuthen  (1758)  and  their 
effects,  Zorndorf. 

England  deserts  her  ally  (1762)  :  ultimate  results  of  this  action 
on  Europe  and  on  England. 

Good  fortune  alone  saves  Frederick  in  the  end,  and  Russia  makes 
peace. 

{b)  Years  of  Peace  (1763-8G). 

Frederick  the  "enlightened  despot." 

The  partition  of  Poland — was  it  justifiable? 

Frederick  a  mystery  and  contradiction :  his  historic  position. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Reddaway.    Frederick  the  Great.    Heroes  of  the  Nations  Series. 
Hassan.     The  Balance  of  Power  (1715-89). 
Longman.     Frederick  the  Great.     Epochs  Series. 
Macaulay.     Essay  on  Frederick  the  Great. 
Carlyle.     Frederick  the  Great.     10  Vols. 

Vide,  also  chapters  in  Menzel's,  Henderson's  and  Taylor's  His- 
tories of  Germany. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Briefly  describe  the  benefits  conferred  on  his  country  by  the 
Great  Elector. 

2.  IIow  was  it  that  Prussia  survived  the  ordeal  of  the  "Seven 
Years'  War"? 

3.  State  the  claims  of  Frederick  to  be  ranked  as  a  'benevolent 
despot."     What  were  the  weak  points  of  his  administration? 


LECTURE  III. 

The  Expansion  of  England  During  the  Eighteenth 

Century. 

Greater  Britain  at  the  beginning  of  the  Eighteenth  Century. 
Importance  of  the  treatj^  of  Utrecht. 

The  colonial  rivalry  between  France,   Spain  and  England  dur- 
ing the  Eighteenth  Century. 


The  expansion  of  England  is  the  linli  which  connects  the  seven 
gi-eat  wars  waged  by  England  between  1G88-1815. 

The  conquest  of  Canada :  Chatham,  Wolfe. 

The  War  of  American  Independence:  its  causes.  The  old  colo- 
nial system :  the  Hinterland  reasons  for  the  American  success. 
Was  separation  inevitable? 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Ludlow.    War  of  American  Independence,  Epochs  Series. 

Seeley.     The  Expansion  of  England. 

Jose.    The  Growth  of  the  Empire. 

Goldwin  Smith.     History  of  the  United  States. 

Bancroft.     History  of  the  United  States. 

Winsor.     History  of  the  United  States. 

Cambridge  Modern  History,    \o\.  YII.     The  United  States. 

Trevelyan.     The  American  Revolution. 

Lecky.     History  of  England  in  the  Eighteenth  Century. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Discuss  the  grounds  for  England's  quarrel  with  her  American 
colonies. 

2.  To  what  causes  do  you  attribute  the  success  of  the  American 
colonies  in  the  War  of  Independence. 

3.  What  influence  did  Lord  Chatham  exercise  upon  the  expansion 
of  England? 


LECTURE  IV. 

Napoleon  and  the  Waterloo  Campaign. 

Elba.     Restoration  of  the  Bourbons. 

Disagreement  between  the  Powers. 

Napoleon  lands  in  France  (March,  1815)  ;  his  romantic  march 
to  Paris ;  his  chances  of  success ;  fatal  result  of  Murat's  rising  in 
Italy ;  Napoleon's  immense  energy ;  his  plan  of  operations. 

June  14-18.  Ligny ;  Quatre  Bras ;  Waterloo :  an  analysis  and 
criticism  of  the  campaign.  The  causes  of  Napoleon's  defeat. 
Would  a  victory  at  Waterloo  have  saved  Napoleon? 

Napoleon's  private  life  and  personal  characteristics.    The  Bona- 


partes  in  Florence  and  Corsica ;  Corsican  patriotism ;  parentage — 
"Madame  M^re" ;  brothers  and  sisters ;  kindness  to  relatives ;  per- 
sonal appearance;  the  story  of  Napoleon  and  Josephine;  Marie 
Louise.  The  contradictious  of  Napoleon's  character :  Was  he  cruel? 
■Was  he  guilty  of  criminal  ambition?  The  case  of  the  Due  d'En- 
ghien.  Was  he  brave?  His  activity  and  industry;  mastery  and 
detail ;  insight ;  luck ;  versatility— as  displayed,  e.  g.  in  Egypt. 

Napoleon's  historic  position :  comparison  with  Alexander.  Caesar, 
Hannibal. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Johnston.     Napoleon. 

Rose.     Napoleon. 

Lanfrey.     Napoleon. 

Fournier.     Napoleon. 

Seeley.     Napoleon. 

O'Connor  Morris.    Napoleon.    Heroes  of  the  Nations  Series. 

Count  Yorck  von  Wartenburg.     Napoleon  as  a  General. 

Morse-Stephen.     Revolutionary  Europe   (1789-1815). 

Rose.     Revolutionary  and  Napoleonic  Era. 

Taine.  Les  origines  de  la  France  Contemporaine.  translated,  4 
Vols. 

Seeley.     Life  and  Times  of  Stein. 

Napier.     Peninsular  W^ar. 

Oman.     Peninsular  War. 

Theirs.    Consulate  and  Empire. 

Mahan.  Influence  of  Sea-Power  on  the  French  Revolution  and 
Empire. 

L6vy.      Napoleon    intime    (translated   as   Napoleon   in    Private 

Life). 

O'Connor  Morris.     The  Campaign  of  1815. 

Houssaye.     1815 — Waterloo. 

Dickinson.     Revolution  and  Reaction  in  Modern  France. 

Memoirs  :  Madame  Junot ;  Marbot ;  Sir  Robert  Wilson  ;  Bourri- 
enne  ;  Chaptal ;  Macdonald  :  Pasquier  ;  Madame  de  R^musat,  etc. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  permanent  results  did  Napoleon's  career  produce  outside 
the  borders  of  France? 

2.  State  your  views  with  regard  to  the  execution  of  the  Due 
d'Enghien. 

3.  How  would  you  account  for  Napoleon's  defeat  at  Waterloo? 


8 


LECTURE   V. 

The  Unity  of  Italy. 

Between  the  times  of  Theodoric  aud  Victor  Emmauuel. 

Italy  was  a  "geograpliical  expressiou"  only. 

Napoleon  I  and  Italian  unitj-.     The  States  of  Italy  after  1815. 

The  problems  to  be  solved  by  the  promoters  of  Italian  unity. 

The  movement  from  1815  to  1848.     The  Carbonari. 

The  "Young  Italy"  party.     The  Moderates. 

Mazzini :  the  prophet  of  the  movement :  his  oreed  and  share  in 
the  making  of  Italy. 

The  Italian  Revolutions  of  1848-9. 

Rome  and  Pius  IX. 

Cavour,  the  statesman  of  the  movement :  his  policy.  His  nego- 
tiations with  Napoleon  III.  The  war  of  1859— I'nion  of  the 
Duchies  and  the  Romagna  with  Piedmont  (March,  18tJ0).  Ce.ssion 
of  Nice  and  Savoy  to  France. 

Garibaldi,  the  sword  of  the  movement :  his  «>arly  career :  at 
Rome  (1849)  :  he  lands  at  Marsala  (May  11,  18U0)  and  conquers 
Sicily  and  Naples  (May- September).  A  difficult  situation  saved 
by  Cavour's  policy  and  Garibaldi's  patriotism. 

Venice:  The  war  of  18iJ0  results  in  the  imion  of  ^'e]letia  with 
Italy. 

Rome:  The  Temporal  Power.  Cavour's  policy — "The  Free 
Church  in  the  Free  State." 

Aspromonte  (1862);  Mentana   (1867). 

The  Policy  of  France. 

The  Italian  troops  enter  Rome  (September  20,  1870). 

Recent  progress  of  Italy  and  the  Euroi»ean  importance  of  the 
Making  of  Italy. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
Bolton  King.     History  of  Italian  Unity. 
Countess  Cesaresco.     The  Liberation  of  Italy. 
Bolton  King.     Mazzini. 
Dicey.     Cavour. 
Bent.     Garibaldi. 
Mazzini.     Essays. 
Marriott.     The  Makers  of  Italy. 
Godkin.     Victor  Emmanuel. 


9 


QUESTIONS. 

1.  Estimate  Mazzini's  share  in  the  unification  of  Italy. 

2.  Contrast  the  policy  of  Cavour  with  that  of  Bismarck. 

3.  Briefly   outline   the   successive   stages   in   the   unification   of 
Italy. 


LECTURE  VI. 

Bismarck  and  the  Founding  of  the  German 

Empire. 

A  brief  outline  of  German  History  during  the  period  of  reaction 
(1815-1850). 

Attempt  of  Prussia  to  establish  a  German  Union.  Opposition 
oi.  Austria.  Prussia's  entire  submission  to  the  Austrian  terms  at 
Olmiitz   (November,  1850). 

Germany  and  Austria  after  1850. 

Prince  William  becomes  Regent  of  Prussia  (1858)  :  his  char- 
acter and  policy — reorganization  of  the  army — succeeds  to  the 
throne  (18G1) — Conflict  with  Parliament — chooses  Bismarck  as 
his  minister   (1862). 

Bismarck  :  his  previous  career  and  personal  characteristics.  The 
meaning  of  his  policy  of  "blood  and  iron." 

The  Schleswig-Holstein  question. 

The  "Seven  Weeks'  War"  of  1866.     Moltke. 

The  battle  of  Kiiniggratz.     Ti-eaty  of  Prague. 

Bismarck's  Moderation. 

Causes  of  the  Franco-German  War  of  1870-1.  The  campaign 
and  its  results. 

The  proclamation  of  the  King  of  Prussia  at  Versailles  as  Ger- 
man Emperor  (January  18,  1871). 

Bismarck's  share  in  the  making  of  the  Empire.     His  later  years. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Ileadlam.     Bismarck.     Heroes  of  the  Nations  Series. 

Low.     Bismarck. 

Fiffe.     Modern  Europe. 

Andrews.     Historical  Development  of  Modern  Europe. 

Seiguobos.     Political  History  of  Contemporary  Europe. 

Henderson.     History  of  Germany. 


10 

Phillips.     Modern  Europe. 
Jerrold.     Life  of  Napoleon  III. 
Zola.     La  Debacle. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Explain   the   meaning   of   Bismarck's   policy   of   "blood   and 

iron." 

2.  Indicate  the  respective  importance  of  the  chief  causes — proxi- 
mate and  remote — of  the  Franco-German  War. 

3.  Briefly    summarize    Bismarck's    share    in    the    unification    of 
Germany. 


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University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 

Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Types  of  Mediaeval  Life 


1.  The    Feudal    Baron    and    his  3.  The  King  and  the  Emperor 

Tenants.  4.  The  Pope. 

2.  The  Merchant  and  the  Towns-  5.  The  Monk. 

man.  6.  The  Crusader. 


By 

Ramsay  Muir,   M.  A. 

Staff  Lecturer  in  History  and   Literature   for   the  London,  the  Liverpool 
and  the  American  Societies  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching 


No.  260  Price,   10  cents 

Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Tetchine 

111   South  Fifteenth  Street,   Pliiladelphii,   Pa. 


BOOKS. 

There  is  no  very  satisfactory  sliort  history  of  the  Middle  Ages 
in  English.  The  Student's  Hallam's  Middle  Ages  (Murray)  is  per- 
haps the  nearest  approach  to  it,  but  it  is  too  condensed,  and  forms 
heavy  reading.  Thatcher  &  Schwill's  History  of  Europe  may 
also  be  named.  Students  who  read  French  will  find  Duruy's  His- 
toire  du  Moyen  Age  very  valuable.  It  is  short,  vivid,  and  not  over- 
burdened with  detail.  Tout's  The  Empire  and  the  Papacy  (Riv- 
ington)  is  a  sound  narrative  of  the  central  part  of  the  period 
(918-1272)  from  which  all  the  "types"  dealt  with  in  this  course  are 
drawn.  Guizot's  History  of  Civilization  in  Europe  (forming  part 
of  the  first  volume  of  the  author's  History  of  Civilisation  translated 
in  Bohn's  series)  is  a  valuable  treatment  of  general  characteris- 
tics unencumbered  with  detail.  J.  C.  Morison's  Life  and  Times  of 
St.  Bernard  (Macmillan)  attempts  not  merely  to  give  the  per- 
sonal history  of  its  subject,  but  to  take,  so  to  say,  a  section  of 
mediaeval  life  in  his  period.  Incidentally  it  deals  with  several 
of  the  "types"  dealt  with  in  the  course — notably  Abelard  and 
Louis  VI.  Church's  Life  of  St.  Anselm  (Macmillan)  is  an  ad- 
mirable sketch  of  one  of  the  most  attractive  figures  of  the  period, 
and  should  certainly  be  read.  Bryce's  Holy  Roman  Empire  (Mac- 
millan) gives  a  valuable  account  of  the  theory  of  the  Empire  and 
a  brief  sketch  of  its  history.  Sections  of  the  first  volume  of 
Traill's  Social  England  will  be  found  useful.  Among  larger 
works,  Hallam's  Middle  Ages  and  Mh^man's  History  of  Latin 
Christianity  may  be  mentioned.  They  are  probably  beyond  the 
compass  of  most  students,  but  might  with  advantage  be  consulted 
on  special  points.  Thus  the  history  of  Gregory  VII  could  be 
read  in  Milman,  and  the  theory  of  feudalism  studied  in  Hallam. 


LECTURE  I. 

The  Feudal  Baron  and  his  Tenants. 

Feudalism — a  system  of  government  based  on  a  system  of  land- 
holding.  How  feudalism  arose.  Its  advantages  for  the  period ; 
its  drawbacks.     Contrast  between  England  and  other  countries. 

The  feudal  baron :  his  armour  and  his  castle,  both  almost  im- 
pregnable. His  daily  life.  The  education  of  his  sonsj  The 
women  of  feudalism.     The  baron's  religion. 

The  feudal  baron's  relations  with  the  King :  with  his  fellow 
barons.  Continual  petty  warfare.  Examples.  Robert  of  Belesme ; 
the  Counts  of  Anjou,  Fulk  Nerra  and  Geoffrey  Martel. 

The  tenants  of  a  feudal  lord,  villcius.  How  they  held  their 
land ;  how  they  cultivated  it.  Their  powerlessness  against  op- 
pression. Instances.  Nevertheless,  they  are  protected  by  custom. 
They  have,  at  the  least,  risen  from  slavery  to  serfdom.  They  are 
also  to  some  extent  protected  by  the  church.  1.  The  Peace  of  God 
and  the  Truce  of  God,  attempts  on  tlie  part  of  the  church  to  miti- 
gate the  anarchy  of  the  age.  2.  The  influence  of  the  church  work- 
ing upon  the  feudal  nobility  produces  chivalry,  with  its  lofty 
ideals. 

Essay  Subjects. 

Feudalism :  its  characteristics  and  its  effects. 

A  feudal  village. 

Chivalry. 


LECTURE  II. 

The  Merchant  and  the  Townsman. 

When  all  Europe  feudal,  and  all  political  power  fought  for 
between  turbulent  mailed  barons  and  kings  little  stronger  than 
themselves,  trade  and  industry  could  only  be  carried  on  in  places 
of  refuge.     These  are  provided  by  towns,  whose  rise  in  importance 

(3) 


and  gradual  emancipation  from  feudal  control  forms  one  of  the 
most  important  features  of  the  later  half  of  the  period. 

In  Italy  and  southern  France,  towns  in  many  cases  trace  a  con- 
tinuous existence,  though  for  a  long  time  they  are  powerless.  In 
Germany,  Northern  France,  and  England,  they  have  in  most  cases 
to  be  created. 

Examples  of  the  way  in  which  towns  rose  into  importance: 
Venice  and  Milan :  description  of  typical  mediaeval  towns  of  Eng- 
land and  northern  France.     The  free  towns  of  Germany. 

Jealousy  of  feudal  nobles  towards  tov*ns.  They  are  therefore 
protected  by  the  Kings,  the  natural  enemies  of  feudalism. 

Mediaeval  trade.  (1)  Trade  in  the  towns.  "Market-rights." 
The  great  fairs.  The  guilds,  for  the  regulation  and  protection  of 
trade.  (2)  Foreign  trade:  its  main  lines.  Manufacture,  its  com- 
paratively small  importance. 

Essay   Subjects. 

Venice  in  the  Middle  Ages. 
Mediaeval  trade. 


LECTURE  III. 


The  King  and  the  Emperor. 


Throughout  the  period  Monarchy  is  engaged  in  a  perpetual  strug- 
gle with  feudalism,  and,  as  a  rule,  it  has  the  people  and  the 
church  on  its  side  because,  on  the  whole,  it  stands  for  order.  For 
all  that,  except  in  England,  monarchy  seems  to  get  the  worst  of 
it  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  period. 

The  period  of  weakness  and  struggle  illustrated  by  the  reign  of 
Louis  VI  of  France.  Extent  of  his  dominions  compared  with  those 
of  his  great  tenants.  His  struggles  even  with  the  petty  lords 
of  his  own  domain.  His  relations  with  the  church :  Abbot  Suger 
and  St.  Bernard.  His  encouragement  of  the  rise  of  towns  as  a 
check  upon  the  barons. 

The  monarch  triumphant  over  feudalism,  illustrated  by  Henry 
II  of  England.     His  character,  aims  and  methods. 

The  Holy  Roman  Empire.     In  theorj'  raised  above  all  other  mon- 


I 


archies  ;is  the  Papacy  stood  above  other  bishoprics,  it  was  in 
reality  simply  annexed  to  the  German  monarchy.  The  connection 
between  the  Empire  and  the  German  Kingdom.  Its  strength  and 
its  weakness. 

The  unique  position  of  the  Emperor  brings  him  into  an  especially 
close  relationship  (1)  with  the  Papacy,  (2)  with  Italy.  Conse- 
quently, he  is  iiiv.jlved  in  a  struggle  against  Papal  claims,  and 
against  the  aspirations  for  local  independence  of  various  parts  of 
Italy. 

Frederick  Barharossa,  1152-1190 — the  greatest  of  the  Emperors. 
His  character.  Strength  and  weakness  of  his  position.  The  ideals 
of  the  Empire.  His  struggle  with  the  papacy  and  with  the  Lom- 
bard towns  led  by  Milan. 

Essay  Subjects. 

Causes  of  the  weakness  of  monarchy  in  the  Midle  Ages. 

Louis  VI. 

The  theory  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire. 

Frederick  Barbarossa. 


LECTURE  IV. 

The  Pope. 

The  gradual  rise  of  the  Papacy.  Its  relation  with  the  Empire. 
Impossibility  of  avoiding  a  life  and  death  struggle  between  the 
two. 

Greyonj  \  II.  His  early  history.  He  is  the  exponent  of  a 
great  reform  movement,  originated  by  the  monks  of  Cluny.  His 
ideal :  he  regards  the  Pope  as  the  captain  of  the  army  of  righteous- 
ness in  the  world,  and  aims  at  making  effective  the  subordination 
to  him  of  all  its  power,  with  a  view  to  the  defeat  of  the  forces 
of  unrighteousness.  Hence  necessary  hostility  to  the  empire.  His 
theory  of  the  proper  position  of  the  emperor — the  doctrine  of  "the 
two  swords."  The  investiture  question :  its  real  meaning.  The 
struggle  with  the  emperor  Henry  IV.  Canossa :  1077.  Final  ap- 
parent defeat  of  Gregory  VII. 


Innocent  III.  The  papal  power  at  its  zenith.  Supremacy  over 
the  temporal  power  in  every  kingdom.  What  the  papacy  meant  to 
Europe.    It  was  the  real  centre  of  mediaeval  Christendom. 

Essay   Subjects. 

The  Rise  of  the  Papacy. 

The  Ideals  of  Gregory  VII. 

Gregory  VII  and  Innocent  III :  a  contrast. 


LECTURE  V. 

The  Monk. 

Mediaeval  monasticism.  Brief  sketch  of  its  history  and  the 
causes  of  its  power.  In  an  age  of  force  and  fraud  coniploto  retire- 
ment from  the  world  seemed  to  be  the  only  means  of  leading  the 
religious  life.  The  respect  paid  to  monks,  and  the  influence  wielded 
by  them,  all  the  greater  because  Bishops  and  other  secular  clergy 
were  too  often  mere  territorial  magnates,  on  a  level  with  the 
barons  around  them. 

St.  Bernard,  the  greatest  monk  of  the  Mid^^le  Age,  forms  the 
best  type  of  the  class.  His  family,  early  life,  and  reasons  for 
adopting  monastic  life.  The  monasteries  of  Citeaux  and  Clair- 
vaux.  The  life  of  the  monks.  Value  of  their  services  to  Chris- 
tianity. Bernard's  reputation  for  sanctity.  His  theological  writ- 
ings. His  miracles.  He  becomes  the  arbiter  in  all  kinds  of  dis- 
putes, political  as  well  as  religious.  Instances  of  bis  politital  inter- 
ventions. The  Schism :  Bernard's  support  of  Innocent  II  against 
the  anti-pope  Anacletus.  From  this  time  he  is  the  greatest  power 
in  Europe.  His  fights  with  heresy.  His  advocacy  of  the  second 
Crusade.     Its  failure :  death  of  Bernard. 

Essay  Subjects. 

A  Mediaeval  Monastery. 

The  Influence  of  Monasticism  in  the  Middle  Ages. 

The  Character  and  Ideas  of  St.  Bernard. 


LECTURE  VI. 

The  Crusader. 

The  Crusades  are  perhaps  the  most  typical  and  central  events 
of  the  middle  ages,  because  iu  them  for  a  moment  were  combined 
the  warlike  and  the  religious  interests.  At  the  same  time  they 
helped  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  breakdown  of  the  mediaeval 
system,  because  they  put  an  end  to  the  exclusive  and  self-sufficient 
life  of  Catholic  Europe  by  bringing  it  into  close  contact  with 
another  civilization. 

The  reverence  of  the  Middle  Age  for  the  actual  scenes  of  the 
life  of  Christ.  Frequency  of  pilgrimages  to  Jerusalem.  These  are 
stopped  by  the  advance  of  the  Turks. 

The  preaching  of  the  first  crusade.  The  enthusiasm  aroused. 
Pope  Urban  at  Clermont.  Every  class  equally  tired  with  a  desire 
to  hasten  to  the  relief  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 

Raymond  of  St.  Gilles.  His  position  and  power:  a  typical  great 
feudal  lord.  Sketch  of  his  adventures  on  the  first  Crusade,  illus- 
trating the  sti'ange  combination  of  ferocity  and  unscrupulousness 
with  fervid  and  sometimes  superstitious  devotion.  The  Crusaders 
and  the  Greeks.  Antioch  and  the  Holy  Lance.  The  siege  of  Tyre 
and  the  capture  of  Jerusalem. 

Summary  and  conclusion. 

Essay   Subjects. 

"The  Middle  Ages  are  epitomized  in  the  Crusades."' 
The  First  Crusade. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Evolution 


1.  A  Master  Mind. 

2.  His  Master  Idea. 

3.  Down  Through  the  Past. 


4.  What  a  Chicken  can  Teach  Us. 

5.  The  Humming-bird's  History. 

6.  Science  and  the  Book. 


By 


Samuel  Christian  Schmucker,   Ph.  D. 

Professor  of   the  Biological  Sciences   in    the  West  Chester  State  Normal 

School,  West  Chester,  Pa. 


No.  261 


Price,  10  cents 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching. 

Ill  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia.   Pa. 


REFERENCES. 
Poulton,  Edward  B.     Charles  Daricin  awl  the  Theory  of  yatural 
Selection.     Macmillan   and  Company.     Probably  the  best   short 

life. 
Darwin,  Francis.     Life  and  Letters  of  Charles  Daricin.    D.  Apple- 
ton  and  Company.     Contains  Darwin's  autobiography ;  the  rest 
of  the  story  is  chiefly  told  by  the  letters  themselves. 

Darwin,  Charles.  The  Origin  of  Species.  D.  Appleton  and  Com- 
pany. Probably  the  most  influential  book  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

A  Naturalisfs  Voyage  Around  the  World.  D.  Appleton  and 
Company.  An  unconscious  record  of  the  growth  of  the  mind 
of  the  man  in  a  few  formative  years. 

The  Variation  of  Animals  and  Plants  under  Domestication. 
D.  Appleton  and  Company.  A  monumental  work  on  this  sub- 
ject. A  record  of  the  fact^!  that  decided  Darwin  in  favor  of 
the  variability  of  species. 

Metcalf,  Maynard  M.  An  Outline  of  the  Theory  of  Organic  Evo- 
lution. The  Macmillan  Company.  A  clear  and  concise  account 
of  the  theory ;   with   abundant  pictorial   illustrations. 

Romanes,  George  John.  Danrin  and  after  Daricin.  Vol.  I.  The 
Darwinian  Theory.  A  strong  presentation  of  the  subject  by 
a  careful  scientific  writer. 

Jordan,  David  Starr  (with  Kellog  and  Heath).  Animal  Studies. 
D.  Appleton  and  Company.  One  of  the  best  of  the  elementary 
text-books  on  animals. 

Lucas,  Frederic.  Animals  of  the  Past.  McClure,  Phillips  and 
Company.  A  popular  and  interesting  treatment  of  a  few  phases 
of  the  geological  history. 

Howard,  George  E.  Standard  Varieties  of  Chickens.  Fanners' 
Bulletin  No.  51.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  A  valuable 
compend  free  on  application  to  the  Department. 

Chapman,  Frank  M.  Bird  Life.  D.  Appleton  and  Company.  Per- 
haps the  best  single  book  for  the  new  student  of  the  subject. 

Newlin,  A.  A  Dictionary  of  Birds.  A  &  C.  Black.  An  invaluable 
repository  of  scientific  information  on  birds. 

Smith,  George  Adam.  Modern  Criticism  and  the  Preaching  of  the 
Old  Testament.  A.  C.  Armstrong  and  Company.  A  lucid  argu- 
ment for  a  Divine  revelation  in  the  Bible,  with  entire  ac- 
ceptance of  the  results  of  modern  criticism. 

Abbott,  Lyman.  The  Life  and  Literature  of  the  Ancient  Hebretcs. 
Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Company.  A  sympathetic  and  stimulat- 
ing study  of  the  Old  Testament  in  the  light  of  modern  criticism. 

Drummond,  Henry.  The  Ascent  of  Man.  Jas.  Pott  and  Company. 
A  suggestive  book  of  excellent  spirit :  written  too  soon  to  be 
permanently  valuable. 


LECTURE   I. 

A  Master  Mind. 

I.  The  most  influential  mind  of  the   last  centin-y  was  that  of 
Charles  Darwin. 
II.  Getting  his  bearings. 

Born    February    12,    1809.      Same   year    with    Tennyson, 

Gladstone  and  Lincoln. 
Delicate  child,  with  a  taste  for  beetles. 
Careless  as  a  student,  with  a  love  for  scientific  rambles 
with  Sedgwick    (geology)    and  Henslow    (.botany). 

III.  Apprenticeship  on   the  Beagle.      (Age  22-27.) 

Read  Lyell's  Geology  on  the  transatlantic  voyage. 
Got  his  first  glimmer  of  evolution  on  the  Pampas. 
Studied   chiefly    Geology    in    South   America.  , 

At  the  Galapagos  Islands  made  his  critical  observations. 

(The  basis  of  his  later,  master  work.) 
Studied  Corals  at  the  Keeling  Atoll. 

IV.  Winning  his  place. 

Published  Journal  of  the  Beagle  voyage.     (1839.) 
Researches  on  coral   islands.      ( 1842. ) 
Monogi'aph  on  the  Barnacles.      (1846-54.) 
V.  His  life-work. 

The  "Origin"  fermenting. 

Began  his  work  on  mutability.      (1837.) 

Studied  variation  under  domestication. 

Read  Malthus  on  population.     (1838.) 

Wrote  a  35-page  account  of  his  theory.     (1842.1 

Wrote  a  231-page  account.     (1844.) 

The    great    Darwin-Wallace    meeting    of    the    Liunaean 

Society.     (185S.) 
The  papers  submitted  by  Lyell  and  Higbee. 
Publication  of  the  "Origin  of  Species."     (1859.) 
The    British    Association    meeting    at    Oxford. 
The  controversy  between  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  and  Prof. 

Huxley. 

(3) 


His  subsequent  books  are  all  amplifications  of  details  of 

the  great  work. 
VI.  Died  of  heart  failure.     (April  18,  1882.) 
Was  buried  in  Westminster  Abbey. 
A  modest,  peaceable,  kindly  man,  with  unending  patience 

and  unfaltering  trust  in  his  own  convictions,  and  a 

fearless  lover  of  truth. 


REFERENCES. 

(a)  Poulton.     Charles  Darwin.     Chapters  1-15,  26. 

(&)  Darwin.    Life  and  Letters  of  Charles  Darwin.  Pages  1-86,120- 

131,  133b,  166-179,  206,  221,  238,  277-282,  314-316,  342,  477. 
(c)   Darwin.     Life  and  Letters  of  Charles  Darwin.     Entire. 
Darwin.     Voyage  of  a  Naturalist.     Entire. 


QUESTIONS. 

1.  Why  did  Darwin's  school  life  foreshadow  so  slightly  his  future 

greatness? 

2.  What  should  Darwin  have  done  with  Wallace's  paper? 

3.  What  is  the  Malthusian  theory  of  population? 

4.  What  seems   to  you  the  attitude  of  your  associates   towards 

evolution? 


LECTURE  II. 

His  Master  Idea. 

1.  The  conditions  of  the  problem. 

Heredity — offspring  resemble  their  parents. 
Variation — but  not  exactly. 
Reproduction  is  a  geometric  ratio. 

Toads,  unresti'icted,  could  cover  the  earth  in  seven  gen- 
erations. 
Mullein  plants  could  do  it  in  four. 


II.  "Natural  Selection"  determines  which  shall  live. 

Taking  toads  for  an  example— we  see  the  evolution  of 
the  laying  instinct  of  the  mother: 

The  eggs  surrounded  by  bitterest  mucus  succeed; 

Those  placed  in  the  best  ponds: 

Those  eggs  which  are  fastened  to  the  weeds. 
Protective  Coloration : 

Those  toads  most  nearly  ground  colored,  and 

Those  most  knobby  succeed  best. 
Protective  habits : 

Those  keeping  most  quiet  during  the  day,  and 

Those  with  the  worst  secretion  succeed  best. 
Food  gathering: 

Those  most  alert  in  capturing  insects  thrive  best. 
Mating : 

Those  drawn  most  promptly  to  the  water,  and 

Those  with  the  most  distinctive  and  pleasing  voice, 
are  most  likely   to  mate. 

III.  This  is  the  whole  underlying  idea:  simple  enough  and  ap- 

parently harmless  in  its  implications. 
Darwin  called  it  "Natural  selection." 
Wallace  called  It  "The  struggle  for  existence." 
Spencer  gave  us  the  phrase  "The  survival  of  the  fittest." 


REFERENCES. 

(«)   Jordan.     Animal  Life.     Pp.  281-313. 

(h)   Metcalf.     Organic  Evolution.     Pp.   1-83. 

(<^)   Darwin.     Origin  of  Species.     At  least  Chapters  I-V,  VIII,  XY. 


QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  can  you  tell  of  the  increase  of  the  English  sparrow  within 

your  recollection? 

2.  What  are  his  "fit"  qualities? 

3.  What  is  the  main  cause  for  the  struggle  for  existence  amongst 

those  in  the  same  calling  with  yourself? 

4.  What  constitutes  "fitness"  in  that  calling? 


LECTURE  III. 

Down  Through  the  Past. 

I.  Estimates  have  been  made  of  the  age  of  the  earth's  crust. 

1  rom  the  thiekuess  of  the  strata ; 

From  the  rate  of  erosion ; 

From  the  rate  of  cooling. 
Fossils  tell  us  of  the  earlier  inhabitants  of  the  globe. 

These   may   be  only   imprints  on  the  rock ; 

Or  actual  remains  of  the  animal. 

Only  the  less  perishable  parts  are  commonly  found. 
II.  The  beginnings  of  the  vertebrate  branch  are  lost  in  the  past. 

In  the  Devonian  age  the  fish  type  was  predominant. 

By  the  Carboniferous  amphibians  had  arisen. 

The  Mesozoic  showed  reptiles  of  many  types. 
Birds  evidently  developed   from   reptiles. 

The  ancestral  tjpe  is  as  yet  uncertain. 

The  dinosaurs  show  many  bird  characters. 

The  pterodactyls  tried  one  plan  and  failed. 
The  Arch:Popteryx  is  the  first  known  bird. 

Its  fossils  have  been  found  in  Bavaria. 

It  had  feathers,  claws  on  the  wings,  teeth  and  a  reptilian 
tail. 
Prof.  March  found  remarkable  birds  in  the  Kansas  rock. 

Hesperornis  was  a  diver  with  teeth,  and  no  front  limbs. 

Ichthyornis  was  a  gull  with  good  wings  and  with  teeth. 
III.  The  birds  as  a  class  are  still  full  of  promise. 

REFERENCES. 

(«)   Lucas.     AnimaU  of  the  Past.     Chapters  I.  IV,  V. 

(b)  Metcalf.     Organic  Evolution.     10,*]-11G. 

(c)  Darwin.     Griffin  of  Species.     Chapters  X.  XI.  XII. 

QFESTIONS. 

1.  Describe  the  most  interesting  fossil  you  have  seen. 

2.  Why  do  animals  become  extinct? 

3.  What  are  some  of  the  plainer  resemblances  between   reptiles 

and  birds? 

4.  Why  are  we  inclined  to  shorten  the  past  history  of  the  earth? 


LECTURE    IV. 

What  a  Chicken  can  Teach  Us. 

.     I.  Vaiiatiou  under  domestication. 

Tlie  Burmese  jungle  fowl  is  the  probable  ancestor  of  our 
chickens. 
This  is  the  only  Galhis  that  crosses  with  the  chicken. 
The  qualities  that  lead   to  its  domestication  are: 
It  is  a  scratcher.   hence  has  much  meat  on  legs. 
Its  wings  are  poor,  hence  it  has  a  white  breast  and  is 

easy  to  pen. 
It  lays  many  eggs,  and  these  are  of  large  size. 
It  is  a  beautiful  bird— because  polygamous. 
II.  Adaptation  to  various  purposes. 

The  game  cock  is  especially  developed  for  fighting. 
The  Asiatic  tj-pe — Brahma — is  heavy  and  a  good  layer. 
The  Mediterranean  type — Leghorns — forage  well. 
The  •'Polish"  is  a  French  type  with  distorted  skull. 
The  Plymouth  Rock  is  an  American  type. 

It  was  bred  from  the  Barred  Dominique  cock  and  the 
Black  Java  hen. 
III.  The  life  history  of  the  individual  recapitulates  the  history 
of  the  race. 

We  see  this  in  the  development  of  the  chick. 

Its  gills  point  to  a  water-living  ancestor. 

All  lines  of  argument  point  to  the  variability  of  species. 

REFEREN'CES. 

(a)   Howard.     Standard  Varieties  of  Chickens. 

Jordan.     Animal  Studies.     Chapter  XIX. 
(ft)   Metcalf.     Organie  Evolution.     Pp.  29-32,  96-103. 
(c)  Darwin.     Animals  and  Plants  under  Domestication.     Chapter 
VII. 

Darwin.     Origin   of  Species.     Chapter  XIV. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  the  result  of  the  large  size  of  hens'  eggs? 

2.  What  points  do  chicken  breeders  commonly  aim  to  secure? 

3.  Why  is  the  yolk  of  the  hen's  egg  yellow? 

4.  How  does  the  chick  differ  from  the  chicken? 


LECTURE   V. 

The   Humming-bird's  History. 

There  are  three  closely-related  bird  families.     Of  these 
I.  The  Goatsuckers  are  the  most  primitive. 

The  Whip-poor-will  is  little  more  than  a  voice  to  most  people. 
The  Night-hawk  is  better  known. 

It  flies  at  twilight  feeding  in  the  air. 
It  rests  sitting  lengthwise  on  fence  or  tree. 
It  nests  on  the  ground. 
There  are  two  great  emotions  in  birds :  fear  and  love. 
Fear  leads  to  protective  coloration. 
Love  leads  to  attractive  coloration. 
Goatsuckers  are  protectively  colored. 
Goatsuckers  are  found  all  over  the  world. 
II.  The  Swifts  are  more  highly  developed. 

They  fly  more  accurately — being  smaller. 
They  fly  earlier  in  the  day. 
They  nest  in  hollow  trees,  or  in  chimneys. 
They  are  distributed  widely  through  the  world. 
III.  The  Humming-birds  are  the  most  highly  evolved. 
The.se  are  the  smallest  of  all. 
They  fly  with  the  greatest  ease. 

They  hover  before  flowers  for  insects  and  for  nectar. 
They  have  become  very   highly  colored. 
They  are  found  only  in  America. 
The    evolution    has   probably    tiiken    place   since    the    Glacial 
Period. 
As  is  evidenced  by  their  distribution. 

REFEREN'CES. 

(a)   Chapman.     Bird  Life.     Pp.  1-5.  14-34. 
(6)  Metcalf.     Organic  Evolution.     Pp.  116-151. 
(c)   Newton.     Dictionary  of  Birds.     Articles  on  Night  .Jar.  Swift, 
Humming-bird. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Give  a  short  account  of  the  one  of  these  birds  you  know  best. 

2.  What  relation  may  there  be  between  the  activity  of  the  hum- 

ming-birds and  their  color? 

3.  Where  did  chimney  swifts  nest  before  men  built  chimneys? 

4.  What  do  we  mean  by  the  Glacial  Period? 


9 
LECTURE  VI. 

Science  and  the  Book. 

I.  The  great  need. 

A  good  story  must  be  adapted  to  its  hearers,  and 

Must  have  power  to  grow. 
Biblical  theology  is  man's  interpretation  of  God's  revela- 
tion of  Himself  in  the  Bible. 
Science  is  man's  interpretation  of  God's  revelation  of  Him- 
self in   Nature. 
Each  has  the  limitations  of  man's  understanding. 
Each  has  its  own  aspect  of  truth. 

When  completely  understood  they  must  correspond,  for 
Truth  is  one. 
II.  The  apparent  opposition. 

The  ancient  Hebrew  believed,  probably  quite  literally,   in 
A  six-day  creation. 

An  immediate  creation  of  man,  directly  from  the  dust  of 
the  earth. 
Modern  science  teaches 
An  immensely  long  creation,  and 
A  slow  ascent  of  man. 
III.  The  real  unity. 

Attempts  to  "reconcile"  by  paralleling  the  accounts  have 

failed. 
The  account  of  creation  in  Genesis  had  for  its  mission : 
To  teach  men  of  a  Great  Creator, 
Of  His   close  relation  to  man,   and 
Of  His  demand  for  righteousness. 
It  had  to  be  within  the  comprehension  of  the  times,  and 
If  worded  for  to-day  would  be  out  of  date  in  twenty-five 

years. 
The  glory  of  the  Genesis  account  is  that 

It  grows  with  the  growth  of  the  human  race. 
It  grows  with  us  from  childhood  into  manhood. 

REFERENCES. 

(a)  Drummond.     The   Ascent  of  Man.     Pp.    1-41. 

(b)  Smith.     Modern  Criticism.     Especially  Chapter  IV. 

(c)  Abbott.     Life  and  Literature  of  the  Ancient  Hehrews.     Es- 

pecially Chapters  I-III,  XVI. 


10 


QUESTIONS. 

1.  Is  there  opposition  in  your  own  mind  between  the  ideas  of  evo- 

lution and  creation? 

2.  Could  the  ancient  Hebrews  have  understood  evolution? 

3.  Is  the  development  of  the  race  more  wonderful  than  the  devel- 

opment of  the  individual? 

4.  What  is  your  own  attitude  towards  evolution? 


The  Ciass. — At  the  close  of  eacfa  lecture  a  class  will  be  held  for 
questions  and  further  discussion.  All  are  urged  to  attend  it  and  to 
take  an  active  part.  The  subjects  discussed  will  ordinarily  be  those 
arising  from  the  lecture  of  the  same  evening.  In  centres  in  which  no 
Students'  Association  (see  below)  has  been  formed,  the  class  will 
afford  opportunity  for  the  lecturer  to  comment  on  the  papers  sub- 
mitted to  him. 

The  Weekly  Papers. — Every  student  has  the  privilege  of  writing 
and  sending  to  the  lecturer  each  week,  while  the  course  is  in  progress, 
a  paper  treating  any  theme  from  the  lists  given  at  the  end  of  each 
part  of  the  syllabus.  The  paper  should  have  at  the  head  of  the  first 
sheet  the  name  of  the  writer  and  the  name  of  the  centre.  Papers 
may  be  addressed  to  the  lecturer,  University  Extension,  iii  South 
Fifteenth  street,  Philadelphia. 

The  Students'  Association. — Every  lecture  centre  will  be  greatly 
helped  in  its  work  by  the  formation  of  a  club  or  other  body  of  students 
and  readers  desirous  of  getting  the  stimulus  that  working  in  common 
affords.  This  Students'  Association  will  have  its  own  organization  and 
arrange  its  regular  programme,  if  possible,  both  before  and  after  as 
well  as  during  the  lecture  course.  The  lecturer  will  always  lend  his 
help  in  drawing  up  programmes,  and,  when  the  meeting  falls  on  the 
day  of  the  lecture,  will  endeavor  to  attend  and  take  part.  Much  of 
the  best  work  of  Extension  is  being  done  through  the  Students' 
Associations. 

The  Examination. — Those  students  who  have  followed  the  course 
throughout  will  be  admitted  at  the  close  of  the  lectures  to  an  exami- 
nation under  the  direction  of  the  lecturer.  Each  person  who  passes 
the  examination  successfully  will  receive  from  the  American  Society 
for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching  a  certificate  in  testimony 
thereof 


VALUABLE  GUIDES  TO  READING  AND  STUDY. 


The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching  has  published,  in 
connection  with  its  work,  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  syllabi,  nearly  all  of  which 
are  of  real  value,  independently  of  the  lectures,  for  guiding  home  reading  and 
study.  They  contain  suggestive  outlines  of  the  lectures,  lists  of  books,  and  other 
material  of  interest.    The  following  have  been  recently  issued : 


The  Cities  of  Italy  and  Their  Gift  to  Civilization.    Edward  Howard 

Griggs,  MA 1«  ceota 

English  Writers  of  the  Present  Era.    Frederick  H.  Sykes,  M.A.,  Ph.D.  .  15  cents 

The  Divine  Comedy  of  Dantk.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 10  cents 

The  Expansion  of  England.    Cecil  F.  Lavell,  M.A 10  cents 

Waqnkr  :    The  Music  Drama.    Thomas  Whitney  Surette 15  cents 

Great  Novelists.    William  Bayard  Hale,  M.A 10  cents 

Sociology  IN  English  Literatore.    J.  W.  Martin,  B.Sc 10  cents 

Personal  and  Social  Development.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A.  ...  10  cents 

Types  op  Womanhood  Studied  from  Autobiography.    Edward  Howard 

Griggs,  M.A 10  cents 

Civics.    Frederic  W.  Speirs,  Ph.D 10  cents 

The  American  Negro.    G.  R.  Glenn.  William  A.  Blair,  Walter  H.  Page, 

Kelly  Miller,  W.  E.  B.  DuBois,  H.  B.  Frissell 25  cents 

The  Awakening  of  Modern  Europe.    Cecil  F.  Lavell,  M.A 10  cents 

Burns  and  Scott.    Albert  H  Smyth,  B  A 10  cents 

Goethe's  Faust.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 20  cents 

Education  and  Life.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 10  cents 

Moral  Leaders.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 10  cents 

Modern  English  Fiction.    Frederick  H.  Sykes,  M.A. ,  Ph.D 10  cents 

The  Painters  OF  PiiORENCE.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 15  cents 


Any  of  the  above  syUabi  will  be  forwarded,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 
Address  University  E.Ktension  Society,  111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 

Course  of  Six  Lectures 

on 


Great  Englishmen   of  the  Nine- 
teenth Century 


1.  George  Canning.  4.  Lord  Beaconsfield. 

2.  Sir  Robert  Peel.  5.  William  Ewart  Gladstone. 

3.  Lord  Palmerston.  6.   John  Bright. 


By 
J.  Travis  Mills,  M.  A. 

Staff  Lecturer  in  History  of  the  Cambridge,  the  London  and  the  American 
Societies  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching 


No.  262  Price,  10  cents 

Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  (or  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching, 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

General  I'ext-Books. 

Bright 's  History  of  England.     Vols.  3  and  4.     (Rivingtons),  or, 
McCarthy's  History  of  Our  Own  Times.     (Chatto  and  Windus). 
For  Peel,  Pahnerston,  Beaconsfield  and  Gladstone,  the  series  of  "Queen's 
Prime  Ministers,"  published  by  Sampson  Low  &  Co.,  is  useful. 

Suggestions  for  further  reading  will  be  found  after  the  syllabus  of 
each  lecture 


LECTURE  I. 

George  Canning. 

Chronological  outline : — 

George  Canning  (1770-1827). 

Pitt's  first  administration  (1784-1801). 

Canning  Under-Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs  (1794-1801). 
Addington's  ministry'  (1801-4). 
Pitt's  second  administration  (1804-6). 

Canning  Treasurer  of  the  Navy. 
The  ministry  of  "All  the  Talents"  (1806-7). 
The  Duke  of  Portland's  Ministry    (1807-9). 

Canning  Foreign  Secretarj^ — resigns  October,  1809. 
Perceval's  ministry  (1809-12). 
Lord  Liverpool's  ministry  (1812-27). 

Canning  President  of  the  Board  of  Control  (1816-20);  Foreign 
Secretary  (1822-7). 
Canning  Prime  Minister  (1827.)] 

Canning's  family  connections  and  early  life.     Eton  and  Oxford. 

The  state  of  English  and  of  European  politics  when  Canning  entered 
public  life. 

Canning's  political  morality:  a  survey  of  his  personal  conduct  in 
public  and  official  life. 

Canning's  political  opinions:    how  affected  by   the  course  of  the 
French  Revolution;    the   "Anti-Jacobin;"    the  nature  of  Canning's 
Toryism;    his  views  on  Irish  questions — Catholic  Emancipation;  Par 
liamentary  Reform,  Free  Trade,  etc. 

Foreign  policy:  Foreign  Secretary,  1 807-9 ;  his  strenuous  opposition 
to  Napoleon;  the  Spanish  campaign;  the  seizure  of  the  Danish  and 
Portuguese  fleets. 

Foreign  Secretary,  1822-7:  the  "Holy  Alliance;"  Canning  and 
Castlereagh;  the  doctrine  of  non-inter\'ention;  the  affairs  of  Spain  and 
Portugal— Canning  "calls  the  New  World  into  existence  to  redress 
the  balance  of  the  old"— the  "Monroe  Doctrine;"  the  Greek  War  of 
Independence. 

Canning's  private  life  and  personal  characteristics:   his  oratory. 

Estimate  of  his  work. 

(3) 


REFERENCES  FOR  READING. 

Stapleton's  Political  Life  of  George  Canning  and  Canning  and  His  Times. 

Temperley's  George  Canning.     (Finch  &  Co.) 

Alison  PhiUip's  Life  of  George  Canning.     (Methuen  &  Co.) 

Hill's  George  Canning.    (English  Worthies'  Series).    (Longmans,  Green, 

&Co.) 
See  also:    Rose's  Napoleon,  Kebbel's  History  of  Toryism,  Walpole  s 
History  of  England,  Fyffe's  Modern  Europe,  Bulwer's  Historical 
Characters,    The    Greville     Memoirs    (Longmans,    Green  &  Co.), 
The    Creevey  Memoirs  (John  Murray). 


LECTURE  II. 

Sir  Robert  Peel. 

Chronological  outline : 

Sir  Robert  Peel  (1788-1850). 
Perceval's  ministry  (1809-12). 

Peel  Under-Secretary  for  the  Colonies. 
Lord  Liverpool's  ministry  (1812-27). 

Peel  Irish  Secretary  (1812-18). 

Peel  Home  Secretary  (1822-7). 
Canning's  ministry  (1827). 
Goderich's  ministry  (1827-8). 
Wellington's  ministry  (1828-30). 

Peel  Home  Secretary. 
Lord  Grey's  ministry  (1830-4). 
Melbourne's  first  ministry  (1834). 
Peel's  first  ministry  (1834-5). 
Melbourne's  second  ministry  (1835-41). 
Peel's  second  ministry  (1841-6).] 

Family  and  early  life:  the  effect  of  his  early  training  upon  his  political 
life. 

The  Catholic  Emancipation  question:  Peel's  views,  and  policy  aa 
Irish  Secretary;  he  introduces  and  carries  the  Catholic  Relief  Bill  (1829) 
— reasons  for  his  change  of  front. 

Peel  as  a  financier. 

His  amelioration  of  the  criminal  code. 


Peel  and  Parliamentary  Reform:  his  attitude  towards  the  Reform 
Bill  of  1832. 

Free  Trade;  the  Corn  Laws;  the  reason  for  Peel's  conversion;  Dis- 
raeli and  Peel. 

Peel's  personal  character. 

An  estimate  of  his  public  career.  Was  he  a  traitor?  A  "constitu- 
tional statesman;"  a  great  administrator;  a  great  debater;  his  lack  of 
foresight. 


'O' 


REFERENCES  FOR  READING. 

Thursfield's  Peel.     (The  Macmillan  Company.) 

McCarthy's  Peel.     (Sampson  Low.) 

Doubleday's  Political  Life  of  Sir  Robert  Peel. 

Bagehot's  Biographical  Studies. 

See  also:  Walpole's  History  of  England,  Molesworth's  History  of  Eng- 
land, Kebbel's  History  of  Toryism,  The  Greville  Memoirs,  The 
Creevey  Memoirs. 


LECTURE  III. 

Lord  Palmerston. 

[Chronological  outline : 

Lord  Palmerston  (1784-1865). 

1807-9.       Junior  Lord  of  the  Admiralty. 

1809-28.     Secretary  of  War. 

1830-4.       Foreign  Secretary  in  Lord  Grey's  ministry  and  in 
Lord  Melbourne's  first  ministry. 

1835-41.     Foreign  Secretary  in  Lord  Melbourne's  second  min- 
istry. 

1846-52.     Lord  John  Russell's  ministry. 

Palmerston  Foreign  Secretary  (1846-51). 

1852.  Lord  Derby's  first  ministry. 

1852-5.       Lord  Aberdeen's  goverimient. 
Palmerston  Home  Secretary. 

1855-8.       Palmerston's  first  ministry. 

1858-9.       Lord  Derby's  second  ministry. 

1859-65.     Palmerston's  second  ministry.] 

Palmerston  as  an  office-holder. 
His  early  life. 


His  foreign  policy :  method  and  masterfulness;  his  view  of  England's 
function  among  states;  his  love  of  and  admiration  for  England;  his 
achievements. 

His  opinions  upon  questions  of  home  politics;  at  variance  with  those 
of  the  Manchester  School.     Causes  of  his  great  popularity  in  later  life. 

His  personality:  oratory;  outspokenness,  optimism,  wit,  good 
temper. 

REFERENCES  FOR  READING. 

Ashley's  Life  of  Lord  Palmerston.     (Bentley.) 

The  Marquis  of  Lome's  Viscount  Palmerston.     (Sampson  Low.) 

Herbert  Paul's  History  of  Modern  England. 

See  also:  Walpole  (v.  s.),  Molesworth,  and  The  Greville  Memoirs. 


LECTURE  IV. 

Lord  Beaconsfield. 

[Chronological  outline : 

Lord  Beaconsfield  (1804-81). 
1837.  M.  P.  for  Maidstone. 

1852.  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  in  Lord  Derby's  first 

ministry. 
1858-9.       Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  in  Lord  Derby's  second 

ministry. 
1866-8.       Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  in  Lord  Derby's  third 

ministry. 
1868.  Disraeli's  first  ministry. 

1868-74.  Gladstone's  first  ministry. 
1874-80.  Disraeli's  second  ministry. 
1876.  Disraeli  created  Earl  of  Beaconsfield.] 

Family  and  youth. 

Early  political  life:   Disraeli  and  O'Connell. 

Disraeli's  political  creed  and  aims  as  illustrated  by  his  speeches  and 
writings. 

Disraeli  and  Peel. 

Leader  of  the  Conservative  Party  and  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
Why  did  Disraeli  introduce  the  Reform  Bill  of  1867? 


Disraeli  as  Prime  Minister:   what  he  failed  to  do;   what  he  did;  the 
Eastern  Question,  "Peace  with  Honour." 
Disraeli  as  an  orator. 

Disraeli's  personality:  home  life;  marriage;    friendships;    Disraeli- 
ana. 

REFERENCES  FOR  READING. 
Froude's  Earl  of  Beaconsfield  (Sampson  Low.) 
Meynell's  Benjamin  Disraeli.     (Hutchinson.) 
Sichel's  Disraeli.     (Methuen.) 
Bryce's  Studies  in  Contemporary  Biography.     (The  Macmillan   Com 

pany.) 
T.  P.  O'Connor's  Life  of  Lord  Beaconsfield.     (Chatto  and  Windus.) 
Kebbel's  Beaconsfield.     (W.  H.  Allen.) 
Kebbel's  History  of  Toryism.     (W.   H.  Allen.) 
See  also:  Walpole  (v.  s.),  Molesworth  (v.  s.),  Paul  (v.  s.). 


LECTURE  V. 

William  Ewart   Gladstone. 

[Chronological  outline : 

William  Ewart  Gladstone  (1809-98). 
1833.  M.  P.  for  Newark. 

1834-5.       Peel's  first  ministry. 

Gladstone  Junior  Lord  of  the  Treasury,  and  after 
wards  Under-Secretary  for  the  Colonies. 
1841-6.       Peel's  second  ministry. 

1841-3.     Gladstone  Vice-President  of  the  Board  o 
Trade  and  Master  of  the  Mint. 

1843-5.     President  of  the  Board  of  Trade. 

1846.         Colonial  Secretary. 
1852-5.       Lord  Aberdeen's  government. 

Gladstone  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
1855-8.       Palmerston's  first  ministry. 

1855.     Gladstone  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
1859-65.     Palmerston's  second  ministry. 

Gladstone  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
1865-6.       Russell's  second  ministry. 

Gladstone  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
1868-74.     Gladstone's  first  ministry. 


8 

1880-5.       Gladstone's  second  ministry. 
1885-6.       Lord  Salisbury's  first  ministry. 
1886  (Feb.-July).     Gladstone's  third  ministry. 
1886-92.     Lord  Salisbury's  second  ministry. 
1892-4.       Gladstone's  fourth  ministry.] 

Parentage.     Youth.     Promise  of  future  greatness.     Marriage. 

A  sketch  of  his  political  career  (v.  s.),  as  Tory,  Peelite,  Liberal,  Home 
Ruler. 

The  causes  of  his  change  of  political  opinion;  inconsistencies  of  his 
career. 

Gladstone  as  a  financier. 

Gladstone  and  Parliamentary  Reform. 

Gladstone  and  Ireland:  the  Irish  Church  Bill ;  the  Land  Bill;  Home 
Rule. 

His  religious  opinions  and  character. 

Gladstone  as  an  orator. 

His  personality:  intellectual  power;  bodily  vigor;  literary  tastes; 
friendships;    love  of  power;    versatility,  etc. 

An  estimate  of  his  statesmanship:  did  he  lead  or  did  he  reflect  his 
time? 

REFERENCES  FOR  READING. 
John  Morley's  Life  of  Gladstone.     (The  Macmillan  Company.) 
Russell's  Gladstone.     (Sampson  Low.) 
Bryce's  Studies  in  Contemporary  Biography. 
Bagehot's  Biographical  Studies. 

Every  English  political  journal  or  biography  of  the  last  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century  contains  many  references  to  Gladstone's  career,  but 
Walpole,  MoJesworth  and  Paul  are  again  useful. 


LECTURE  VI. 

John  Bright. 

Bright's  birth  and  parentage :  his  attachment  through  life  to  his  class. 

The  influences  of  early  life:  self-education;  distress  in  Lancashire; 
Quaker  training,  leading  to  a  combination  of  religion  with  politics; 
the  passing  of  the  1832  Reform  Bill;  a  voyage  to  the  Levant;  the  local 
church-rate  controversy. 


9 

A  statement  of  the  leading  political  ideals  of  Bright  and  the  "Man- 
chester School." 

The  Peace  Question :  the  Crimean  War;  Bright's  views  and  speeches ; 
the  permanent  effect  of  Bright's  advocacy  of  peace. 

Parliamentary  Reform:  Bright's  agitation  for  Reform,  1858-66. 
"Reform  the  true  conservatism." 

A  brief  reference  to  Bright's  advocacy  of  Reform  in  India  and  in 
Ireland  and  to  his  championship  of  the  cause  of  the  North  in  the  Ameri- 
can Civil  War. 

John  Bright  as  an  orator:   a  short  analysis  with  illustrations. 

An  estimate  of  his  achievements. 

REFERENCES  FOR  READING. 

Robertson's  Life  of  Bright. 

Vince's  Life  of  John  Bright.     (Blackie  &  Son.) 

See  also:   Molesworth,  and  Paul. 


QUESTIONS. 
Lecture  I. 

1.  Describe  briefly  the  state  of  English  politics  at  the  beginning  of  the 

nineteenth  century. 

2.  In  what  respect  was  Canning  an  instrument  in  the  downfall  of 

Napoleon. 

3.  In  what  sense  did  Canning  use  the  words :  "I  called  the  New  World 

into  existence  to  redress  the  balance  of  the  old." 

Lecture  II. 

1.  Trace  the  steps  by  which  Sir  Robert  Peel  was  led  to  propose  the 

Repeal  of  the  Corn  Laws. 

2.  Explain  Peel's  attitude  with  respect  to  the  Catholic  Relief  Bill  of 

1829. 

3.  Comment   upon   Bagehot's   dictum   that    "Sir  Robert  Peel   con- 

formed to  the  type  of  a  constitutional  statesman." 

Lecture  III. 

1.  Briefly  show  how  it  came  about  that  Palmerston  held  office  in 

Tory  and  in  Whig  governments  for  over  50  years. 

2.  Has  Palmerston  a  claim  to  rank  as  a  great  Foreign  Minister? 

3.  Cobden  asserted  that  Palmerston  had  "no  love  for  liberty  or  prog- 

ress at  home."     Is  this  statement  justifiable? 


10 

Lecture  IV. 

1.  Lord  Beaconsfield  "impressed  a  distinct  character"  upon  Tory- 

ism.    Comment  upon  this  statement. 

2.  Did  Mr.  Disraeli  depart  from  the  principles  of  orthodox  Toryism 

when  he  introduced  the  Reform  Bill  of  1867? 

3.  Briefly  summarize  Lord  Beaconsfield's  services  (a)  to  his  party; 

(6)  to  his  country. 

Lecture  V. 

1.  Compare  the  statesmanship  of  Mr.  Gladstone  with  that  of  Sir 

Robert  Peel. 

2.  Illustrate  by  reference  to  public  events  the  progress  of  Mr.  Glad- 

stone's opinions  with  respect  to  Ireland. 

3.  Briefly  state  what  in  your  opinion  are  the  leading  political  achieve- 

ments of  Mr.  Gladstone. 

Lecture  VI. 

1.  Write  a  short  account  of  the  work  of  the  Anti-Corn-Law  League. 

2.  Briefly  indicate  the  nature  of  Mr.  Bright's  services  to  the  cause  of 

(a)  Peace;    (b)  of  Parliamentary  Reform. 

3.  Compare  the  political  methods  and  career  of  Mr.  Bright  with  those 

of  Lord  Palmerston. 


i 


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UNIVERSITY   EXTENSION  LECTURES 


The  Poetry  and 
Philosophy  of  Browning 


A    liANDBOOK  l)E  EIGHT  i,ECTC RES 


EDWARD  HOWARD  GRIGGS 


No.  263  Price,  25  Cents 


Tl>€  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of   L'uiversity  Teaching 
III  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


The  Poetry  and  Philosophy 

OF 

BROWNING 


A  Handbook   of   Six   Lectures  by 

Edward  Howard  Griggs 


Rrloe  2S  cents f  net 


B.  W.  HUEBSCH 

Publisher 
NEW   YORK 


Copyright,  1905,  by 
EDWARD  HOWARD  GRIGGS 


'At  the  midnight  in  the  silence  of  the  sleep-time, 

When  you  set  your  fancies  free, 
Will  they  pass  to  where — by  death,  fools  think,  imprisoned — 
Low  he  lies  who  once  so  loved  you,  whom  you  loved  so, 
—Pity  me? 

Oh  to  love  so,  be  so  loved,  yet  so  mistaken! 

What  had  I  on  earth  to  do 
With  the  slothful,  with  the  mawkish,  the  vmmanly? 
Like  the  aimless,  helpless,  hopeless,  did  I  drivel 

— Being — who?  » 

One  who  never  turned  his  back  but  marched  breast  forward, 

Never  doubted  clouds  would  break, 
Never  dreamed,  though  right  were  worsted,  wrong  would  triumph, 
Held  we  fall  to  rise,  are  baffled  to  fight  better 
Sleep  to  wake. 

No,  at  noonday  in  thQ  bustle  of  man's  work-time 

Greet  the  unseen  with  a  cheer! 
Bid  him  fom-ard,  breast  and  back  as  either  should  be, 
'Strive  and  thrive!'  cry  'Speed, — fight  on,  fare  ever 
There  as  here!'" 

— Browning,  Epilogue  to  Asolando. 


INDEX. 

Note:  Spirit  of  the  Course    ......        6 


1.  The  Positive  Message:   Rabbi  Ben  Ezra  ....  7 

2.  Music  and  the  Spirit:    Abt  Vogler  .....  12 

3.  The  Study  of  Personahty:  Andrea  del  Sarto      ...  17 
4    The  Portrayal  of  Failure:  Cleon 21 

5.  The  Tragedy  of  the  Pursuit  of  Knowledge:  Paracelsus         .  25 

6.  Browning's  Philosophy  of  Art  and  Life:   The  Ring  and  the 

Book 30 

7.  The  Crowning  Revelation  of  Manhood :  Caponsacchi  .          .  35 

8.  Browning's  Interpretation  of  Womanhood:  Pompilia  .          .  40 


Suggestions  to  Students         ......       45 

Book  List 46 


SPIRIT  OF  THE  COURSE. 

THE  aim  of  this  course  is  to  give  an  introduction  to  the  poetry 
and  philosophy  of  Bro^Tiing  through  the  careful  study  of  a 
few  typical  and  especially  lofty  expressions  of  his  genius. 
The  first  half  of  the  course  -nnll  deal  w-ith  four  of  BrowTiing's  repre- 
sentative shorter  poems,  chosen  as  best  expressing  at  once  his  inter- 
pretation of  human  Hfe  and  his  characteristic  poetic  method,  the 
dramatic  monologue.  The  second  half  of  the  course  will  deal  mth  two 
of  his  longer  works  which  illustrate  in  widely  different  ways  his  char- 
acteristics in  thought  and  art.  Of  these,  Paracelsits  embodies  the 
youthful  Browning,  plunging  into  the  deepest  psychological  and 
moral  problems,  while  The  Ring  and  the  Book,  a  dozen  dramatic  mono- 
logues interpreting  one  theme,  gives  Browning's  mature  philosophy 
of  art  and  life  and  contains  his  highest  presentation  of  exalted  man- 
hood and  womanhooJ.  An  appreciation  of  these  poems  should  give 
such  an  understanding  of  Browning's  essential  attitude  and  character- 
istic poetic  form  as  to  furnish  a  key  to  all  else  he  has  written. 

Many  of  us  can  testify  wth  deep  gratitude  to  the  unique  influence 
of  Browning  over  us.  We  love  him  peculiarly,  not  only  as  a  poet, 
but  because  he  has  helped  waken  us  to  the  deepest  ends  and  meaning 
of  human  life.  To  our  age  he  is  a  great  spiritual  teacher,  not  of  the 
conventions  of  faith,  but  of  that  religion  of  personal  life  wliich  the 
world  is  beginning  faintly  to  understand. 

Prophet  as  he  is  wnth  reference  to  modem  life,  expressing,  not  the 
conceptions  that  come  and  go  with  the  hour,  but  those  great  ideas 
which  come  through  the  long  unfolding  of  humanity,  Bro^Tiing 
is  not  easily  understood  until  we  saturate  ourselves  with  a  few  great 
embodiments  of  his  genius,  and  thus  learn  to  read  his  poetry  from 
the  point  of  view  of  his  own  spirit.  When  we  are  able  to  do  this.  Brown- 
ing is  rarely  more  difficult  to  read  than  the  range  and  depth  of  problems 
he  attempts,  necessitates.  Instead  of  finding  him  obscure,  we  respond 
with  increasing  exhilaration  to  the  rapid  movement  and  deep  sugges- 
tion of  his  thought,  and  to  the  strength,  variety  and  harmonious  adapta- 
tion of  his  virile  and  often  exquisite  poetic  form. 


6 


I.  THE  POSITIVE  MESSAGE:   RABBI  BEN   EZRA. 

"Only  a  learner, 

Quick  one  or  slow  one, 
Just  a  discemer, 

I  would  teach  no  one. 
I  am  earth's  native: 
No  rearranging  it! 
/  be  creative, 

Chopping  and  changing  it?" 

— Browning,  Pisgah-Sights  II,  p.  205.* 

"Then  life  is — to  wake  not  sleep, 
Rise  and  not  rest,  but  press 
From  earth's  level  where  blindly  creep 

Things  perfected,  more  or  less. 
To  the  heaven's  height,  far  and  steep." 

— Browning,  Asolando,  Reverie,  p.  266. 


LECTURE  OUTLINE. 

Introduction. — The  statement  regarding  Thoreau  that  it  was  his 
misfortune  to  have  had  a  brilliant  enemy  as  a  critic  and  a  weak  friend 
as  apologist.  Application  of  this  to  the  multitude  of  critics  and  apolo- 
gists in  the  case  of  Browning.  His  misfortune  that  the  subjective 
and  spiritual  character  of  his  poetry  made  it  fall  easily  a  prey  to  those 
who  cultivate  the  mysticism  of  intellectual  laziness,  dabbling  in  the 
esoteric  because  unwilling  to  take  the  trouble  to  think  clearly,  imagin- 
ing that  obscure  expression  is  depth  of  thought.  Yet  already  the 
froth  of  misguided  adoration  and  prejudiced  attack  clearing  away, 
and  a  recognition  growing  tliat  Browning  is  distinctly  the  most  virile 
and  spiritually  awakening  mind  in  modem  English  literature. 

Browning's  alleged  obscurity. — Reasons  for  the  charge:    (1)  Intro- 
spective interest  of  Browning;    (2)  Characteristic  method;    (3)  Rapid 
movement  of  thought;  (4)  Depth  of  thought  and  problem;   (5)  Absence 
of  explanation,  and  assumption  of  special  knowledge.    Thus  necessary 
*  All  references  to  Browning  are  to  the  Camberwell  etiition.    See  the  Book  Jjgt,  p.  46. 

7 


to  bring  to  the  poem  some  knowledge  of  the  subject  it  presents;  to 
get  into  sympathy  with  the  spirit  and  movement  of  Browning's  thought; 
to  grapple  with  the  deep  problems  he  studies.  The  question  whether 
there  is  still  an  element  of  unnecessary  obscurity. 

Method  of  the  course,— The  value  of  the  short  dramatic  monologues 
written  in  the  period  of  Browning's  full  maturity  in  genius.  These 
poems  as  peculiarly  excellent  in  both  thought  and  form;  as  giving  a 
condensed  statement  of  Browning's  essential  message;  as  the  best 
expressions  of  his  characteristic  poetic  method;  as  more  easily  mastered 
than  the  longer  poems.  Hence  the  value  of  these  selected  brief  poems 
as  an  introduction  to  Browning's  poetry  and  philosophy.  Place  in 
the  work  of  BrowTiing  of  the  four  to  be  discussed. 

From  these  turn  to  two  of  the  longer  works.  The  place  of  Paracelsus 
as  revealing  Browning's  youth  and  presenting  one  range  of  his  central 
teaching.  The  Ring  and  the  Book  as  his  masterpiece  among  the  longer 
poems.  Its  significance  as  a  multiplied  dramatic  monologue;  as  the 
fullest  statement  of  Browning's  philosophy;  as  his  most  wonderful 
presentation  of  transfigured  human  life. 

What  should  result  from  the  study  of  these  portions- of  Browning's 
work. 

The  life  of  Browning  (1812-1889). — Browning  unlike  most  poets  in 
the  character  of  his  life.  EveryT\'here  affirmative,  positive,  yet  in 
true  harmony  with  the  noblest  ideals.  No  apology  needed  in  his 
case:  he  hved  his  faith,  in  both  personal  and  vocational  life. 

Unusual  character  of  his  childhood.  Camberwell;  family  back- 
ground;  early  tastes.     Dedication  to  poetry  from  childhood. 

Young  manhood  of  Browning.  Period  of  restlessness :  its  probable 
significance  in  his  life.  First  great  work:  Pauline,  pubhshed  at  21; 
Paracelsus  at  23.  Great  difference  between  the  two.  Significance  of 
the  early  struggle  with  deep  problems.  Compare  Tennyson's  work 
at  the  same  age. 

Period  of  dramas. — Early  association  with  actors  and  interest  in  the 
stage.  Character  of  Browning's  dramas.  Considerable  measure  of 
public  success  with  them. 

Epoch  of  full  maturity.^BrowTiing's  finding  of  himself  and  of  the 
true  leading  in  his  work.  Turning  away  from  the  field  in  which  he  had 
won  some  public  response.  Loss  of  his  audience.  Prejudice  against 
his  work  and  attacks  upon  it.  For  twenty  years  Browming  working 
steadily  on  with  little  response  beyond  the  limited  circle  of  individual 
admirers  and  friends. 

Turn  of  the  tide  when  Browning  about  fifty.  Steady  growth  of 
appreciation  from  that  time  onward.  His  position  well  established 
at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1889. 

8 


Thus  remarkable  spectacle  of  this  twenty  years  of  straightforward, 
undoubting  work,  in  the  face  of  misappreciation  and  abuse.  One 
main  cause  of  Browning's  attitude  the  deep  personal  relationship  of 
his  life. 

Browning's  personal  life. — Story  of  the  love-affair  with  Elizabeth 
Barrett.  Unusual  circumstances  of  the  marriage.  The  ordinary 
counsels,  biological  and  prudential,  under  such  circumstances.  Yet 
Browning's  love  and  married  life  one  of  the  few  personal  relationships 
we  are  pri\'ileged  to  know  about  which  help  us  to  recognize  the  heights 
that  are  attainable  in  the  most  wonderful  aspect  of  human  life. 

The  Browning  letters.  The  hfe  in  Italy.  Effect  of  his  greatest 
personal  experience  on  Bro%vning's  poetry.  Life  and  work  after  the 
death  of  his  wife. 

Browning's  supreme  interest. — The  study  of  soul  development 
through  critical  moments  of  experience.  Browning's  belief  that  a 
man  is  proved  by  the  cro^Tiing  experience  of  his  life.  Hence  the  study 
of  these  critical  moments  should  throw  light  before  and  after  and 
reveal  the  meaning  of  his  whole  existence.  Different  types  of  moments 
significant  for  different  characters.  Illustrate:  Abt  Vogler;  Andrea 
del  Sarto;   Cleon. 

Browning's  poetic  method. — The  dramatic  monologue  the  natural 
vehicle  for  embodying  Browning's  interest  in  human  life.  Full  matur- 
ing of  his  poetry  with  his  recognition  and  acceptance  of  this  fact. 

Compare  Browning's  interest  and  method  with  those  of  other  poets: 
.^schylus,  Dante,  Goethe,  Shakespeare.  The  soliloquies  of  Hamlet, 
strung  together  without  context,  as  an  illustration  of  Bro-miing's 
typical  work  in  content  and  form.  Expression  of  Browning's  char- 
acteristic interest  and  method  even  in  works  more  objectively  dramatic: 
illustrations. 

Adaptation  of  form  to  content. — Browning  too  wise  to  plow  fields 
in  white  gloves.  His  aim,  not  to  make  monotonously  musical  verse, 
but  to  give  adequate  and  harmonious  expression  to  his  thoughts  and 
characters.  Measure  of  his  success  in  this.  Variety  of  his  poetic 
forms  in  both  music  and  imagery.  His  achievement  at  his  best  and 
at  his  worst. 

Personal  element  in  Browning. — Browming  not  purely  dramatic  as 
Shakespeare.  While  never  wearing  his  heart  on  his  sleeve,  always 
directly  or  indirectly  expressing  his  essential  attitude  and  faith.  The 
poet  behind  each  of  his  characters. 

Rabbi  Ben  Ezra. — This  poem  showing  perhaps  as  well  as  any  in  all 
Browning's  work  his  essential  message  and  characteristic  method. 

The  historical  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra :  liis  work;  his  theory  of  immortality. 
Situation  of  the  poem. 

9 


Stanza-form  in  the  poem.  Type  of  music  and  imagery;  adaptation 
to  the  character. 

The  viev,-  of  old  age.  Quick  change  in  thought.  Characteristics 
of  youth  and  value  of  its  "di\-ine  discontent."  Browning's  thought 
of  hfe  as  a  gro-«i:h.  Hence  acceptance  of  pain  and  unfulfilled  effort 
and  aspiration  where  hfe  results.  Glad  recognition  of  the  good  mean- 
ing in  both  body  and  spirit. 

Return  in  stanza  XIII  to  the  initial  thought  of  the  poem:  illustra- 
tion of  the  movement  of  Browning's  thought:  compare  deep  conversa- 
tion 

The  view  of  age  as  a  resting-point  between  two  courses  of  action, 
enabhng  one  to  gather  up  the  meaning  of  the  first  before  turning  to 
the  second 

Rabbi  Ben  Ezra's  faith  in  the  eternity  of  hfe:  is  it  Browning's? 
Reasons  for  the  assurance  of  immortality. 

The  new  turn  to  the  metaphor  of  the  Potter's  WTieel.  Conception 
of  the  relation  of  God  and  the  soul.     Again  grounds  for  the  faith. 

The  positive  message. — Reasons  for  identifjing  Browning's  ^•iew  of 
life  essentially  -R-ith  that  taken  in  the  poem:  (1)  mood  and  spirit  of 
the  whole;  (2)  obvious  identification  of  poet  and  character;  (3)  out- 
side evidence  from  other  direct  expressions  of  Browning's  faith. 

Browning's  glad  acceptance  of  human  hfe:  in  youth  and  age;  in 
pain  and  joy;  in  body  and  spirit,  since  through  all  may  be  gro^-th  up 
toward  that  image  of  God  in  which  we  are  potentially  made. 


TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

1.  How  far  are  we  justified  in  identifjnng  Browning's  personal 

faith  with  the  views  given  in  Rabbi  Ben  Ezraf 

2.  Compare  the  view  of  old  age  in  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra  with  that  given 

in  the  first  book  of  Plato's  Republic. 

3.  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra's  theory  of  immortahty. 

4.  Browning's  view  of  the  life  of  the  senses. 

5.  Why  cannot  life  be  judged  by  its  results  in  work  alone? 

6.  Compare  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra  and  Tennyson's  Ancient  Sage. 

7.  What  is  the  moral  value  of  discontent? 

8    The  construction  and  value  of  the  stanza-form  in  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra. 
9.  The  sources  of  Browning's  faith  in  God  and  immortaht}'. 
10.  Compare  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra's  philosophy  in  the  poem  with  Brown- 
ing's expression  of  faith  in  Prospice,  the  Epilogue  to  Asolando, 
the  Reverie  (in  Asolando)  and  La  Saisiaz. 

10 


REFERENCES. 

See  the  suggestions  to  students,  p.  45,  and  the  general  book  list, 
pp.  46-51.  Books  starred  are  of  special  value  in  connection  with 
this  course;  those  double-starred  are  texts  for  study  and  discussion 
or  are  otherwise  of  first  importance. 

Browning,  **Rabbi  Ben  Ezra;  **Epilogue  to  Asolando;  **Prospice; 
*Reverie  (in  Asolando);  *  La  Saisiaz.  Browning,  R.  and  E.  B.,  *Letters. 
Browning,  E.  B.,  Letters.  Berdoe,  Browning's  Message  to  His  Time, 
pp.  1-70,  193-213.  Brooke,  The  Poetry  of  Robert  Browning,  chapter  I, 
Bro'miing  and  Tennyson.  Bulkeley,  The  Reasonable  Rhythm  of  Some 
of  Browning's  Poems.  Carpenter,  The  Religious  Spirit  in  the  Poets. 
Chesterton,  *Robert  Browning.  Corson,  *  Introduction  to  Browming, 
pp.  3-31,  72-98,  130-133.  Dowden,  *Robert  Browning.  Fothering- 
ham,  Studies  of  the  Mind  and  Art  of  Browning.  Gosse,  Robert  Browning. 
Herford,  Robert  Browning.  Mrs.  Orr,  Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Brown- 
ing. Rolfe,  Browning's  Mastery  of  Rhyme,  in  Boston  Browning  Society 
Papers,  pp.  164-172.  Royce,  Browning's  Theism,  in  Boston  Browning 
Society  Papers,  pp.  7-34.  Sharp,  Life  of  Browning.  Sjonons,  Intro- 
duction to  Browning.     Waugh,  Robert  Browning. 


u 


II.   MUSIC  AND  THE  SPIRIT:   ABT  VOGLER 

"Music  is  the  harmonious  voice  of  creation;  an  echo  of  the  invisible 
world;  one  note  of  the  divine  concord  which  the  entire  universe  is 
destined  one  day  to  sound: — how  can  you  hope  to  seize  that  note  if 
not  by  elevating  your  minds  to  the  contemplation  of  the  universe, 
viewing  with  the  eye  of  faith  things  invisible  to  the  unbelieving,  and 
compassing  the  whole  creation  in  your  study  and  affection?" 

— Joseph  Mazzini,  Life  and  Writings,  volume  IV,  p.  8. 


LECTURE   OUTLINE. 

Introduction. — Aht  Vogler,  like  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra,  a  poem  giving  a  direct 
statement  of  Browning's  essential  faith  and  also  a  typical  expression 
of  his  poetic  method.  Yet  in  Aht  Vogler  a  further  element:  the  philos- 
ophy of  music;  and  through  the  experience  of  the  musical  artist  a 
mystical,  spiritual  vision. 

The  value  of  the  dramatic  monologue  in  the  expression  of  such  a 
spiritual  faith  and  philosophy.  The  difference  between  a  dogmatic 
theory  of  life  and  an  artistic  presentation  of  how  life  looks  from  the 
point  of  view  of  a  certain  height  of  experience.  What  the  latter  does 
for  us:  (1)  In  our  appreciation  of  human  beings;  (2)  In  our  recognition 
of  the  deep  meaning  of  life;  (3)  In  our  hold  upon  the  bases  of  faith. 
The  distinction  between  saying  "this  is  true  of  life,"  and  "life  looks 
so  from  this  point  of  experience."  Contrast  wisdom  and  knowledge; 
the  truth  of  poetry  and  the  truth  of  philosophy. 

The  historical  Abt  Vogler  (1749-1814). — Early  dedication  to  music 
and  the  church.  Original  and  virile  mind  and  character.  Range 
of  public  success  in  several  lands.  Great  pupils.  Bitter  enemies,  who 
regarded  him  as  a  charlatan.  Work  as  musical  composer,  inventor, 
artist. 

Browning's  interest  in  the  forceful,  path-making  type  of  character. 
Significance  of  his  choice  of  Abt  Vogler,  instead  of  a  more  conventional 
type  of  artist,  to  interpret  experience  in  creative  art. 

12 


Bro\\Tiing's  own  love  of  music.  What  it  meant  in  his  life.  Hence 
his  preparation  for  the  study  in  the  poem. 

Situation  in  the  poem. — Abt  Vogler  presented  in  the  moment  just 
after  he  has  been  extemporizing  on  the  instnmient  of  his  own  inven- 
tion. This  as  illustrating  the  highest  point  in  musical  art,  where  the 
artist  who  composes  and  the  artist  who  executes  are  one,  and  the 
creative  energy  flows  out  in  instantaneous  expression.  Value  for  Brown- 
ing's purpose  of  this  bridging  of  the  chasm  between  composition  and 
execution  ordinarily  present  in  music.  Significance  that  the  instrument 
through  which  he  finds  expression  is  also  the  child  of  the  artist's  genius. 
The  moment  tliat  of  perfect  creating,  where  the  impulse  and  thought 
of  the  heart  flow  instantaneously  forth  in  adequate  and  harmonious 
form.  Thus  the  situation  of  the  poem  indeed  one  of  those  critical 
moments  of  experience  in  which  a  soul  is  tested  and  revealed,  and 
which  Browning  so  delighted  to  study. 

Browning's  question:  how  does  art  and  how  does  life  appear  from 
the  view-point  of  Abt  Vogler's  supreme  experience?  Browning's 
belief  that  life  is  tested  at  high-water  mark.  Truth  as  revealed  on 
the  heights.  The  higher  we  climb,  the  truer  is  the  perspective  from 
which  life  is  seen.  Hence  the  value  of  great  experiences  and  of  art  as 
an  expression  and  interpretation  of  them.  Illustrations  from  hmnan 
life  and  history  of  the  truth  of  Bro\\Tiing's  view. 

Form  of  the  poem. — Abt  Vogler's  soul  vibrant  with  the  most  intense 
emotion,  he  bursts  into  poetic  expression.  Adaptation  of  the  long, 
six-foot,  eight-line  stanza,  with  its  predominance  of  dactylic  feet,  to 
the  mood  of  the  poem.  Organ-like  roll  in  the  strong  music  of  the 
poem.     Alliteration  as  distinctly  adding  to  this  impression. 

Imagery  of  the  poem  as  equally  adapted  to  the  character  and  situa- 
tion. BrowTiing's  reversal  of  the  conventional  comparison  of  archi- 
tecture and  music.  Music  as  liquid  architecture,  the  artist's  thought 
flowing  out  into  the  many-pinnacled  temple  of  sound  with  no  slow 
process  of  time  and  labor  existing  as  barrier  between  idea  and  execu- 
tion.    Abt  Vogler's  images  all  in  dramatic  truth  to  the  character. 

Stanzas  I-III. — Abt  Vogler's  hunger  that  his  wonderful  achieve- 
ment might  last.  Solomon's  legendary  magic  no  more  marvelous  in 
its  results  than  this  temple  of  sound  Abt  Vogler  has  raised.  His 
wish  that  it  might  last  as  only  a  natural  expression  of  tliat  hunger  for 
permanence  that  is  one  of  the  two  bottom  desires  of  the  hmnan  heart. 

Stanzas  IV,  V. — Art  creative  like  Nature,  thus  lifting  us  into  har- 
mony with  her.  Sense  of  cooperation  of  the  universe  with  us  in  every 
act  of  creation. 

The  power  of  music  to  lift  us  to  a  point  of  spiritual  appreciation 
where  past  and  future  seem  real  now.     Contrast  the  standards  of 

13 


time  and  space  with  the  standards  of  the  soul.  Compare  Goethe's 
Dedication  to  Faust. 

Stanzas  VI,  VII:  the  philosophy  of  music. — Abt  Vogler's  view  of 
the  miracle  in  music.  His  statement  of  his  own  art  from  within,  of 
the  other  arts  from  without;  thus  giving  the  positive  excellence  oi 
music,  and  the  limitations  of  painting  and  poetry. 

In  music  form  sublimated:  each  sound  created  only  to  be  annulled 
the  next  instant  by  another.  Through  the  succession  of  births  and 
deaths  of  the  musical  sounds  the  arousing  of  a  series  of  emotional 
states  in  the  hearer.  Thus  music  bridging  more  immediately  than 
the  other  arts  the  chasm  between  body  and  spirit.  To  explain  how 
the  series  of  psychical  states  springs  from  the  series  of  physical 
forms  would  be  to  solve  the  riddle  of  the  universe. 

Transition  to  spiritual  philosophy:  stanzas  VIII,  IX. — With  stanza 
VII  close  of  the  first  movement  of  the  poem,  concerned  with  the  narra- 
tion of  Abt  Vogler's  experience.  The  remaining  stan2as  giving  the 
interpretation  of  the  experience.  Type  of  experience  Abt  Vogler  repre- 
sents; thus  what  music  can  symbolize. 

No  comfort  to  the  musical  extemporizer  that  other  temples  of  sound 
may  be  bom  as  this  that  is  gone  was  bom.  So  no  comfort  to  the 
human  heart  that  there  may  be  a  succession  of  e:  jeriences. 

"Each  Mom  a  thousand  Roses  bi:...gs,  you  say; 
Yes,  but  where  leaves  the  Rose  of  Yesterday?" 

Hunger  for  the  eternity  of  the  particular  experience. 

But  is  the  music  gone?  Compare  the  experience  surviving  in  the 
soul  of  the  man.  I  am  the  net  resultant  of  all  my  yesterdays.  Thus 
the  temple  of  sound  surviving  in  the  soul  of  the  artist;  the  wealth 
of  changing  experience  in  the  character  of  the  man. 

Leap  from  this  fact  to  the  belief  in  eternity.  Browning  not  arguing 
from  desire  to  realization.  The  argument:  as  yesterday  and  to-day 
are  justified  by  their  result  in  my  unfolding  life,  so  I  may  dare  to  trust 
to-morrow.     Worth  of  such  an  argument. 

Stanzas  X,  XI:  View  of  good  and  evil.— As  only  that  which  is  posi- 
tive, in  hannony  with  the  spiritual  order  of  the  universe,  really  lives 
on,  so  evil  is  negation,  "silence  implying  sound."  Hence  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  whole  of  life,  possible  to  accept  even  the  moral 
darkness  and  shadows  of  life  as  we  know  it. 

Splendid  enthusiasm  in  this  ringing  song  of  Abt  Vogler's  faith. 
Note:  Browning  does  not  say  "these  things  are  true";  but  "life 
looks  this  way  from  the  point  of  spiritual  vision  Abt  Vogler  has  reached 
through  his  creative  art."    The  underlying  question:    dare  we  trust 

14 


such  a  vision,  or  is  it  a  cheating  illusion,  while  the  prosaic  sand-wastes 
we  plod  over  after  descending  from  the  mountain  are  the  truth  of  life? 
Browning's  unhesitating  and  emphatic  answer  to  this  question.  Note: 
not  necessary  that  we  should  be  able  to  prove  or  disprove;  but  im- 
portant that  we  should  know  what  we  may  dare  to  believe  as  the 
basis  of  our  lives.  A  kind  of  heroism  demanded  in  faith:  we  must 
dare  to  cling  to  what  we  have  seen  in  our  highest  experiences,  and  to 
brave  life  as  if  the  loftiest  that  has  come  to  us  were  true. 

Stanza  XII:  Conclusion. — Descent  to  the  common  chord,  the  C- 
major  of  this  life.  Impossible  to  remain  upon  the  peak  of  vi-sion. 
Every  mountain  means  at  least  two  valleys.  In  every  life  moments 
of  supreme  vision;  in  every  life  dead  areas  of  commonplace.  Great 
living  the  carrying  of  the  vision  of  the  mountain  across  the  sand- 
wastes  and  into  even  the  valley  of  the  shadow  in  the  assurance  that  if 
we  do  so  faithfully  the  mountains  will  appear  in  the  distance,  and  by 
and  by  the  vision — a  new  vision — will  come  again. 


TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

1.  What  is  the  significance  of  Browning's  love  of  unusual  char- 

acters and  subjects? 

2.  The  historic  Abt  Vogler. 

3.  The  metrical  structure  in  Abt  Vogler.     Compare  that  in  Rabbi 

Ben  Ezra. 

4.  The  imagery  in  Abt  Vogler.     Compare  that  in  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra. 

5.  The  significance  of  the  dramatic  moment  chosen  to  interpret 

Abt  Vogler. 

6.  Is  Abt  Vogler  just  to  painting  and  poetry? 

7.  Why  has  music  so  important  a  religious  function? 

8.  What  gives  music  its  superiority  to  the  other  arts  in  expressing 

the  Infinite? 

9.  What  is  the  reason  for  choosing  the  experience  of  the  musician 

as  a  vehicle  for  interpreting  the  highest  spiritual  life? 

10.  What  ground  is  there  for  beheving  that  "there  shall  never  be 

one  lost  good"? 

11.  What   advantage   has   the   poetical   expression   of   Browning's 

faith  in  Abt  Vogler  over  a  dogmatic  statement  of  the  same 
view  of  life? 

12.  Compare  Abt  Vogler  and  Master  Hugues  of  Saxe-Gotha. 

13.  Compare  Abt   Vogler  and   With  Charles  Avison  in  Parleyings 

with  Certain  People. 

15 


REFERENCES. 

Browning,  **Abt  VogUr;  **  Saul;  *Master  Hugues  of  Saxe-Gotha; 
*A  Toccata  of  Galuppi's;  *With  Charles  Avison  in  Parleyings  with 
Certain  People.  Beale,  The  Religious  Teaching  of  Browning.  Berdoe, 
*  Browning  and  the  Christian  Faith.  Brooke,  *The  Poetry  of  Brown- 
ing, chapter  V.  Corson,  Introduction  to  Brovming,  pp.  122-126.  Daw- 
son, Makers  of  Modem  English,  chapters  XXVI-XXIX.  Fothering- 
ham.  Studies  of  the  Mind  and  Art  of  Brovming,  chapter  XVII.  Jones, 
Brovming  as  a  Philosophical  and  Religious  Teacher.  Mazzini,  Life 
and  Writings,  volume  IV,  pp.  1-55,  *The  Philosophy  of  Music.  Orme- 
rod,  *Abt  Vogler,  the  Man;  *Some  Notes  on  Brovming' s  Poems  Re- 
ferring to  Music.  Pigou  Brovming  as  a  Religious  Teacher.  Mrs. 
Tumbull,  Abt  Vogler. 


16 


III.   THE  STUDY  OF   PERSONALITY:   ANDREA 

DEL  SARTO. 

"My  stress  lay  on  the  incidents  in  the  development  of  a  soul:  little 
else  is  worth  study.     I,  at  least,  always  thought  so — you,  with  many 
known  and  unknown  to  me,  think  so, — others  may  one  day  think  so." 
— Browning,  in  letter  to  J.  Milsand,  prefatory  to  Sordello. 


LECTURE   OUTLINE. 

Introduction. — Andrea  del  Sarto  widely  different  from  the  two  pre- 
ceding studies:  there  a  direct  expression  of  Browning's  faith  and 
attitude  through  the  medium  of  two  great  historical  characters;  here 
the  study  of  a  subtle  personality  widely  different  from  Browning  in 
fundamental  reaction  on  hfe.  No  question  as  to  Browning's  own 
attitude  toward  the  problems  presented  in  Andrea  del  Sarto;  but  a 
further  aspect  of  his  work — the  study  of  personality.  Wide  range  of 
Browning's  poems  in  which  this  is  the  dominant  interest.  Andrea 
del  Sarto  one  of  the  greatest  of  these. 

A  further  interest  in  Andrea  del  Sarto  in  the  study  of  the  historical 
character.  Yet  even  if  it  were  decided  that  Browning  failed  in  the 
interpretation  of  the  Florentine  painter,  the  main  value  of  the  poem 
as  a  study  of  human  character  and  the  main  truth  to  the  problems 
of  personal  life  remaining. 

The  historical  Andrea  del  Sarto  (1487-1531). — Andrea  living  just  in 
the  crowning  period  of  the  Florentine  renaissance:  contemporaneous 
with  Michael  Angelo,  Raphael  and  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  Great  interest 
to  the  students  of  art  in  Andrea's  work  through  its  technical  excellence 
and  the  marvelous  ease  of  Andrea's  execution.  In  drawing,  group- 
ing, color,  light  and  shadow,  Andrea  a  master  for  subsequent  artists. 

Vasari's  story. — Our  chief  knowledge  of  Andrea  coming  from  Vasari's 
Life.  Question  as  to  the  truth  of  Vasari's  statements.  Story  of 
the  youthful  painter.  His  questionable  marriage.  The  one  flight. 
Return  to  Florence  at  Lucrezia's  demand.  Subsequent  dishonor. 
Hack  work.  Vasari's  pathetic  account  of  Andrea's  death. 
2  17 


Tendency  to  question  Vasari's  account  to-day.  Yet,  as  a  pupil  of 
Andrea's,  Vasari  should  have  knowTi  the  facts;  and  his  story  should 
be  accepted  unless  we  believe  him  guilty  of  deliberate  falsifying.  The 
poem  following  strictly  Vasari's  account. 

Andrea's  paintings. — Andrea's  work  chiefly  in  Florence.  Great 
beauty  in  all  his  paintings:  one's  first  impression  from  them  that 
Browning's  interpretation  of  the  character  is  wrong.  Yet,  as  our 
study  proceeds,  a  more  and  more  perplexing  question.  In  spite  of 
beauty,  ease  of  execution,  soft  mingling  of  Hght  and  shade,  some- 
thing elusive  in  all  Andrea's  work.  Compare  his  Madonna  of  the 
Harpies,  Young  St.  John,  Deposition  from  the  Cross.  Moods  which  he 
could  interpret.  Crowning  expression  in  his  Last  Supper  at  San  Salvi. 
Self-revelation  in  his  portraits. 

Suggestion  in  all  Andrea's  work  of  something  greater  unattained. 
Sense  in  which  his  reach  did  exceed  his  grasp.  Thus  failure  from  the 
point  of  view  of  his  own  unattained  ideal,  in  spite  of  the  great  work 
he  really  achieved.  Substantial  truth  therefore  of  the  poem  to  the 
historical  character;  only,  the  poem  must  be  read  in  the  Light  of  the 
remarkable  work  Andrea  accomplished. 

Situation  of  the  poem. — Evening:  the  twilight  drawing  down; 
Andrea  in  his  Florentine  studio,  looking  out  of  the  window  at  Fiesole 
and  Mount  Morello:  speaking  half  to  himself,  half  to  the  wife  who 
sits  condescendingly  beside  him.  Thus  the  moment  chosen  one  of 
quiet,  half-sad  meditation,  when  Andrea's  life  lies  clear  in  perspective 
and  he  can  sum  up  to  himself  its  meaning.  The  poem  one  of  the  best 
illustrations  of  the  revelation  of  a  character  through  a  critical  moment 
of  experience  by  means  of  the  dramatic  monologue. 

Verse  form  and  imagery. — Wonderful  delicacy  of  the  music  in  the 
blank  verse  of  the  poem,  expressing  the  moan  of  a  heart  whose  de- 
spair is  hopeless.  Evidence  of  Browning's  mastery  of  exquisite  ex- 
pression when  he  chose  to  use  it. 

Type  of  images  used  in  the  poem;  adaptation  to  the  character. 
Contrast  the  imagery  of  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra  and  Abt  Vogler.  Thus  again 
evidence  of  the  true  dramatic  power  of  Browning,  in  identifying  him- 
self with  the  spirit  of  his  character  and  clothing  the  latter  in  ap- 
propriate form. 

The  interpretative  mood. — Variety  of  moods  in  Andrea's  life;  but 
the  one  recurring  beneath  all  the  rest  and  revealing  the  real  heart  of 
his  life.     This  as  the  mood  of  the  poem. 

Husband  and  wife.^ — Andrea's  sensitive  appreciation  of  Lucrezia's 
beauty;  yearning  for  some  response  to  his  love  for  her,  but  accepting 
quietly  the  fact  that  there  is  no  answer.  Timidly  pleading  that  she 
sit  by  him  through  the  evening  hour;  grateful  that  she  does  so  without 

18 


too  great  restlessness.  Holding  her  bodily  presence  for  the  moment; 
and  recognizing  that  there  is  no  way  he  can  hold  her  thought  and 
desire. 

How  such  a  woman  can  attract  such  a  man  and  hold  him  tangled 
in  the  charm  of  her  irresponsive  sensuousness.     The  pity  of  it! 

Andrea's  view  of  life. — How  philosophy  and  conduct  mold  each 
other.  One's  view  of  Ufe  simply  the  horizon  of  one's  owti  world  of 
action.  Thus  Andrea  believes  in  blind  fate,  because  his  will  has  broken 
against  obstacles  he  could  not  surmount.  Measure  of  truth  and  of 
mistake,  therefore,  in  his  view  of  the  world  and  of  his  own  life. 

Andrea's  despair. — In  tliis  quiet  hour  Andrea's  return  to  the  broken 
dream.  All  the  old  desire  surging  back  upon  him,  with  a  crushing 
sense  of  the  impossibility  of  its  fulfillment.  Thus  quiet  despair.  This 
as  so  much  deeper  than  the  despair  that  cries  out  passionately.  Thus 
Andrea:  the  wild  bird  rises  once  more  to  beat  its  breast  against  the 
inexorable  bars  of  the  cage;  then,  fresh-wounded,  droops  hopeless 
on  the  floor. 

In  the  pathetic  intimacy  of  this  evening  hour  Andrea's  revelation 
to  his  wife  of  the  one  great  compliment  he  had  received — Michael 
Angelo's  word  he  had  cherished  all  these  years  as  the  symbol  of  what 
he  might  have  been.  Lucrezia's  obliviousness,  asking  a  moment 
later  whose  word!  Gush  of  feehng  to  Andrea's  lips  and  eyes;  repres- 
sion;  despair  again.     And  then  the  Cousin's  whistle! 

The  one  more  chance  Andrea  craves.  Recognition  that  it  is  im- 
possible. Acceptance  of  fate — fate  now,  but  which  his  will  is  responsible 
for.     Mood  with  which  the  poem  closes. 

The  poem  and  the  painter. — Wonderful  revelation  of  the  deep  things 
of  human  hfe  in  this  subtle  study  of  personahty;  yet  also  substantial 
truth  to  the  historical  character.  Leaving  the  gossipy  tradition  aside, 
the  Andrea  of  the  poem  the  man  who  painted  the  pictures  that  hang 
in  Florence.  The  sensitive  spirit,  delicately  responsive  to  every  appeal 
from  the  sensuous  world,  but  lacking  the  firm  center  of  masculine 
self-control  and  self-direction,  as  the  background  from  which  spring 
those  subtle,  beautiful,  elusive  paintings  tliat  perplex  us  in  the  galleries 
of  Florence. 

Browning  and  Andrea. — How  an  artist  can  interpret  his  dramatic 
counterpart — the  type  that  embodies  the  weakness  of  his  ovra  strength. 
So  Browning  and  Andrea:  contrast  the  two  marriages;  the  Life  in 
Casa  Guidi  and  the  picture  hanging  in  the  Pitti  Palace  opposite — 
the  picture  Browning  UTote  his  poem  to  describe. 

Browning's  view  of  Andrea's  tragedy.  Causes  of  the  tragedy. 
Was  it  inevitable?  Suggestion  by  dramatic  irony  of  what  the  life  of 
love  and  the  life  of  work  should  be. 

19 


TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

1.  Compare  the  verse-form  in  Andrea  del  Sarto  with  that  in  Rabbi 

Ben  Ezra  and  Abt  Vogler. 

2.  Compare  the  imagery  in  Andrea  del  Sarto  with  that  in  Rabbi 

Ben  Ezra  and  Abt  Vogler. 

3.  Has  Browning  succeeded  in  giving  a  true  interpretation  of  the 

historical  Andrea  del  Sarto? 

4.  Compare  the  relative  values  of  the  study  of  personal  hfe  and 

the    interpretation  of    a  historical  character  in  Andrea  del 
Sarto. 

5.  Compare  Andrea  del  Sarto  and  Tennyson's  Romney's  Remorse. 

6.  The  causes  of  Andrea  del  Sarto 's  failure. 

7.  Compare  Andrea  del  Sarto  with  other  poems  of  Bro^vTiing  dealing 

■with  the  renaissance,  as  Era  Lippo  Lippi  and   The  Bishop 
Orders  His  Tomb. 

8.  Contrast  the  study  of  personal  hfe  in  Andrea  del  Sarto  and  in 

A  Forgiveness. 

9.  Compare  the  view  of  personal  life  given  in  Andrea  del  Sarto  and 

in  Any  Wife  to  Any  Husband. 

10.  Contrast  Browning's  personal  experience  with  that  of  Andrea 

del  Sarto. 

11.  Can  Browning's  own  philosophy  of  personal  life  be  discovered 

in  Andrea  del  Sarto f 


REFERENCES. 

Brooming,  ** Andrea  del  Sarto;  **Fra  Lippo  Lippi;  *The  Bishop 
Orders  His  Tomb;  *Pictor  Ignotus;  *James  Lee's  Wife;  *A  Woman's 
Last  Word;  *Any  Wife  to  Any  Husband;  *A  Forgiveness.  Brooke, 
Poetry  of  Brovming,  chapter  V,  *The  Poet  of  Art.  Burton,  Literary 
Likings,  pp.  150-171,  Renaissance  Pictures  in  Browning's  Poetrj-. 
Corson,  *Introduction  to  Brovming,  pp.  32-71,  113-116.  Fleming, 
Andrea  del  Sarto.  Fotheringham,  Studies  of  the  Mind  and  Art  of 
Brovming,  chapter  XV.  Grant,  Browning's  Art  in  Monologue,  in 
Boston  Browning  Society  Papers,  pp.  35-66.  Ormerod,  Andrea  del 
Sarto  and  Abt  Vogler.  Tennyson,  *Romney's  Remorse.  Vasari, 
Lives  of  the  Painters,  volume  IV,  pp.  169-202,  *Andrea  del  Sarto. 
Whitman,  Brovming  in  Relation  to  Painting. 


20 


IV.     THE    PORTRAYAL    OF    FAILURE:    CLEON. 

"For  it  is  with  this  world,  as  starting-point  and  basis  aUke,  that 
we  shall  always  have  to  concern  ourselves:  the  world  is  not  to  be 
learned  and  thro-mi  aside,  but  reverted  to  and  releamed.  The  spiritual 
comprehension  may  be  infinitely  subtilized,  but  the  raw  material 
it  operates  upon  must  remain.  There  may  be  no  end  of  the  poets  who 
communicate  to  us  what  they  see  in  an  object  with  reference  to  their 
o^.^Ti  individuality;  what  it  was  before  they  saw  it,  in  reference  to  the 
aggregate  human  mind,  will  be  as  desirable  to  know  as  ever." 

— BrowTiing,  Essay  on  Shelley,  p.  285. 

"Why  stay  we  on  the  earth  unless  to  grow?" 

— Bro^Tiing,  Cleon,  p.  84. 


LECTURE   OUTLINE. 

Introduction. — A  further  type  of  dramatic  monologue  in  Cleon: 
the  primary  interest  a  study  of  failure  on  the  basis  of  what  Brown- 
ing considers  a  false  philosophy  of  life.  In  Andrea  del  Sarto  failure 
in  personal  life,  in  love  and  work.  Cleon  rich,  honored,  successful, 
the  friend  of  princes  and  chief  artist  of  his  time,  yet  the  rose  of  life 
dust  and  ashes  in  his  hands. 

Cleon  an  imaginary  character  typifj'ing  the  epoch  of  decadent  Greek 
culture.  Thus  interest  in  Browning's  interpretation  of  the  epoch 
as  well  as  in  his  study  of  the  significance  for  any  time  of  Cleon's  philos- 
ophy of  life. 

Bro-miing's  own  faith  opposite  to  that  of  Cleon;  thus  suggested  by 
dramatic  irony  in  the  poem.  Yet  Browning's  essential  attitude  as 
e\'ident  through  the  indirect  expression  in  Cleon  as  in  its  afiirmative 
embodiment  in  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra  and  Abt  Vogler. 

Character  and  epoch  of  Cleon. — Instructive  character  of  the  declin- 
ing Greek  world.  Refinement  of  culture  following  upon  virility  of 
manhood.  Interest  transferred  from  public  to  private  Ufe.  Diffi- 
culty in  life  and  faith  in  such  an  age.  Resemblance  between  the 
epoch  of  Cleon  and  our  own. 

21 


Cleon  a  perfect  type  of  his  age.  A  finished  artist  in  many  fields; 
poet,  philosopher,  with  a  delicate  sensitiveness  to  the  world  of  sensuous 
appeal  as  great  as  that  of  Andrea  del  Sarto;  but  honored  and  success- 
ful, with  a  wide  relation  to  the  world. 

Form  of  the  poem. — Exquisiteness  of  the  music  and  imagery  of  the 
poem,  thus  expressive  of  Cleon's  spirit.  Perfect  adaptation  of  form 
to  content.  Browning's  use  of  recurring  images  to  unify  the  poem  and 
give  atmosphere.  How  the  spirit  of  the  whole  is  revealed  in  the 
music  and  imagery  of  the  opening  lines. 

Situation  of  the  poem. — Interesting  variation  of  the  dramatic  mono- 
logue. Cleon,  having  just  received  a  letter  accompanied  by  a  wealth 
of  gifts  from  his  friend  Protus,  one  of  the  petty  Greek  tyrants,  sits 
down  to  write  his  thanks  and  answer  the  king's  questions.  Thus  the 
poem  is  Cleon's  letter. 

Compare  the  interpretative  moment  chosen  to  reveal  the  character 
in  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra,  Abt  Vogler,  and  Andrea  del  Sarto  with  that  selected 
here.  The  king's  question:  "Life  fails  for  me,  are  you  who  see  and 
paint  life  happy?";  and  in  rising  to  answer  this  tragic  question  Cleon 
revealing  the  meaning  of  his  character  and  experience. 

Cleon's  view  of  life. — Dramatic  irony  in  the  quotation  prefixed  to 
the  poem.  Even  among  the  Greeks,  Browning  thinks,  a  conception 
that  might  have  solved  Cleon's  perplexity. 

Cleon's  view  of  joy  as  the  use  and  end  of  life;  yet  not  vulgar  joy. 
The  refined  epicureanism  that  seeks  some  loftier  happiness  than  the 
mere  satisfaction  of  brute  instincts.  Revelation  of  Cleon's  vibrant 
response  to  every  appeal  from  the  world  of  sensuous  beauty  in  his  de- 
scription of  the  "one  lyric  woman." 

The  letter's  first  question. — Cleon's  pride  in  the  wonderful  range  of 
his  accomplishment.  Yet  haunting  sense  of  failure  in  it  all.  His 
life  overshadowed  by  the  simple  great  of  old.  His  effort  to  find  com- 
fort in  the  variety  of  his  achievements  and  the  many-sidedness  of  his 
culture.  Tendency  to  this  pseudo-originality  in  every  late  age.  The 
true  relation  to  history.  Impossible  to  know  too  much  of  the  past; 
but  possible  to  know  a  great  deal  and  be  incapable  of  vigorous  action 
in  the  present;  thus  to  have  life  overshadowed  by  great  yesterdays 
and  to  seek  novelty  for  originality.  The  true  value  of  the  past  as 
inspiration  for  the  present. 

Cleon's  failure  to  see  this.  Contrast  Browning's  own  view.  Cleon's 
liunger  for  progress,  yet  despair  within.     Causes  of  his  attitude. 

The  second  question.— With  honor,  fame  and  works  that  will  Uve 
behind  him  is  Cleon  happy?     Cleon's  pathetic  answer. 

Self-consciousness  as  the  peculiar  mark  of  man.  Does  it  mean 
progress  beyond  the  life  of  the  brute?    Growth  of  a  world  of  desire 

22 


with  the  conscious  life,  yet  power  to  answer  desire  through  the  senses 
as  under  rigid  limitations  which  grow  more  narrow  through  the  very 
effort  for  culture  that  brings  to  birth  the  wider  desires.  The  image 
of  the  Naiad.  Contrast  the  view  taken  of  discontent  and  struggle  in 
Rabbi  Ben  Ezra.     Compare  Emerson's  Sphinx. 

Hence  Cleon's  blind  problem  and  his  deepening  despair.  The 
point  of  view  from  which  there  may  be  an  answer  to  his  problem; 
but  Cleon  strugghng  within  a  closed  circle  and  unable  to  break  through 
it  to  a  higher  circle  of  ideas. 

The  joy-hunger. — Intensity  of  Cleon's  desire  for  what  seems  to  him 
life.  The  folly  of  trying  to  satisfy  it  by  promising  an  immortality 
in  works  one  leaves  behind.  Compare  Hamlet's  bitter  statement 
to  Horatio. 

Cleon's  expression  of  the  characteristic  Greek  view  of  old  age  and 
death.  Contrast  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra's  view.  Causes  for  the  difference 
in  attitude.  Unquestioning  rejection  of  all  hope  of  immortality  by 
Cleon:    reasons  for  his  despair. 

Paul's  preaching.— Cleon's  patronizing  attitude  toward  the  "bar- 
barian Jew."  His  assurance  that  "our  philosophy"  is  the  only  en- 
lightened view.  Yet  St.  Paul's  preaching  as  emphasizing  the  very 
conceptions  which  would  have  solved  Cleon's  bitter  problem  and 
transformed  his  despair  into  strong,  hopeful  life.  Thus  the  dramatic 
irony  of  the  poem  and  the  suggestion  by  indirection  of  Browning's 
own  view  of  life. 

Ethical  value  of  the  poem. — Significance  of  the  poem  as  contrasted 
with  a  philosophical  argument  against  the  epicurean  philosophy. 
Value  in  presenting  the  philosophy  in  the  life  with  which  it  naturally 
clothes  itself.  Every  creed  tested  finally  by  the  fruit  it  brings  forth 
in  life.  Hence  the  trenchant  significance  of  Browning's  arraignment 
of  a  merely  hedonistic  philosophy  of  hfe  through  his  portrayal  of  the 
failure  of  Cleon. 

Contrast  in  value  such  a  dramatic  monologue  as  Cleon  with  the  poems 
that  are  merely  subtle  presentations  of  personahty. 

The  vigor  of  Browming's  message.  Cleon's  age  resembling  ours. 
The  many  who  are  caught  in  Cleon's  dark  riddle  to-day.  The  splendid 
affirmation  of  the  worth  of  life  in  Browning.  His  glad  acceptance,  not 
only  of  joy  but  pain,  not  only  of  peace  but  restless  discontent,  since 
to  him  life  means  endless  growth  in  life.  Tonic  value  of  his  teaching 
for  such  an  age  as  ours. 


23 


TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

1.  The  value  of  Browning's  Cleon  as  compared  with  a  philosophical 

argument  against  epicureanism. 

2.  Browning's  view  of  Christianity  as  implied  in  Cleon. 

3.  Contrast  true  originality  with  Cleon 's  view  of  originality. 

4.  The  causes  of  Cleon 's  despair. 

5.  If  faith  in  immortality  be  lost,  is  there  any  answer  to  Cleon's 

despair? 

6.  The  quality  and  music  of  the  verse  in  Cleon.     Compare  in  Rabbi 

Ben  Ezra,  AM  Vogler  and  Andrea  del  Sarto. 

7.  The  imagery  in  Cleon.      Compare  that  in  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra,  Abt 

Vogler  and  Andrea  del  Sarto. 

8.  Browning's  use  of  the  "tower"  image. 

9.  Compare  Cleon  and  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra  in  the  view  taken  of  human 

discontent. 

10.  Compare  the  view  of  old  age  in  Cleon  and  Rabbi  Ben  Ezra.     What 

causes  the  difference? 

11.  How  can  Browning's  philosophy  of  life  be  discovered  in  Cleon? 

12.  The  type  of  classical  interest  in  Browming. 

13.  Bro^Tiing's    interpretation    of    Greece:     compare    Cleon    with 

Balaustion's  Adventure  and  Aristophanes'  Apology. 


REFERENCES. 

Browning,  **Cleon;  *  Balaustion's  Adventure;  *  Aristophanes'  Apology; 
*A  Death  in  the  Desert.  The  Bible,  *Acts,  chapter  XVII.  Bradford, 
Spiritual  Lessons  from  the  Brownings.  Brooke,  Poetry  of  Browning, 
chapters  XI,  XII,  *Imaginative  Representation.  Bury,  Browning's 
Philosophy.  Hyde,  Art  of  Optimism  as  Taught  by  Browning.  Jones, 
Browning  as  a  Philosophical  and  Religious  Teacher.  Nettleship, 
*Robert  Browning,  pp.  326-338.  Pigou,  Browning  as  a  Religious 
Teacher. 


U 


V.  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  THE  PURSUIT  OF  KNOWL- 
EDGE: PARACELSUS. 

"We  turn  with  stronger  needs  to  the  genius  of  an  opposite  tendency 
— the  subjective  poet  of  modern  classification.  He,  gifted  like  the 
objective  poet,  with  the  fuller  perception  of  nature  and  man,  is  im- 
pelled to  embody  the  thing  he  perceives,  not  so  much  with  reference 
to  the  many  below  as  to  the  One  above  him,  the  supreme  Intelligence 
which  apprehends  all  things  in  their  absolute  truth, — an  ultimate 
view  ever  aspired  to,  if  but  partially  attained,  by  the  poet's  own  soul. 
Not  what  man  sees,  but  what  God  sees, — the  Ideas  of  Plato,  seeds  of 
creation  lying  bumingly  on  the  Divine  Hand, — it  is  toward  these  that 
he  struggles.  Not  with  the  combination  of  humanity  in  action,  but 
with  the  primal  elements  of  humanity,  he  has  to  do;  and  he  digs 
where  he  stands, — preferring  to  seek  them  in  his  own  soul  as  the  nearest 
reflex  of  that  absolute  Mind,  according  to  the  intuitions  of  which  he 
desires  to  perceive  and  speak.  Such  a  poet  does  not  deal  habitually 
with  the  picturesque  groupings  and  tempestuous  tossings  of  the  forest 
trees,  but  with  their  roots  and  fibres  naked  to  the  chalk  and  stone. 
He  does  not  paint  pictures  and  liang  them  on  the  walls,  but  rather 
carries  them  on  the  retina  of  his  own  eyes:  we  must  look  deep  into 
his  human  eyes,  to  see  those  pictures  on  them.  Pie  is  rather  a  seer, 
accordingly,  than  a  fashioner,  and  what  he  produces  will  be  less  a 
work  than  an  effluence.  That  effluence  cannot  be  easily  considered 
in  abstraction  from  his  personality, — being  indeed  the  very  radiance 
and  aroma  of  his  personality,  projected  from  it  but  not  separated. 
Therefore,  in  our  approach  to  the  poetry,  we  necessarily  approach 
the  personality  of  the  poet;  in  apprehending  it  we  apprehend  him, 
and  certainly  we  cannot  love  it  without  loving  him.  Both  for  love's 
and  for  understanding's  sake  we  desire  to  know  him,  and,  as  readers 
of  his  poetry,  must  be  readers  of  his  biography  also." 

— Browning,  Essay  on  Shelley,  pp.  283,  2S4. 


LECTURE  OUTLINE. 

Introduction. — The  brief  poems  of  Browning's  mature  manhood  as 
the  most  characteristic  expression  of  his  genius  in  both  thought  and 
form.  Return  from  these  to  the  period  of  Browning's  youth  and  to 
the  work  which  was  prophetic  of  all  he  was  to  accomplish. 

Thus  Paracelsus,  published  when  BrowTiing  was  23,  of  great  interest 


in  connection  with  his  development.  Distinctly  a  young  man's  poem, 
with  the  restlessnes.s,  vast  ambitions  and  youthful  sense  of  failure 
that  so  often  mark  adolescent  genius;  yet  treating  deep  ethical  and 
psychological  problems  ^\^th  remarkable  insight  into  human  life. 
Interesting  how  many  of  Browning's  central  teachings  find  expression 
in  this  first  great  poem. 

Further,  Paracelsus  interpreting  a  remarkable  epoch  of  human  life, 
and  as  a  poem  characterized  by  great  beauty  in  its  highest  portions. 
Thus  variety  of  points  of  view  from  which  the  poem  may  be  studied. 

The  historical  Paracelsus  (1493?-1541). — The  Paracelsus  who  hved 
in  the  early  sixteenth  century  a  man  of  remarkable  and  original  genius. 
Breaking  away  from  his  early  conventional  studies;  dedicating  him- 
self to  the  study  (1)  Of  empirical  science,  not  through  books,  but 
through  direct  investigation  in  chemistry  and  medicine;  (2)  Of  all 
phases  of  human  life;  (3)  Of  mystical  philosophy.  Significance  of 
the  combination  of  his  interests:  compare  Giordano  Bruno.  !Much 
of  his  teaching  since  proved  erroneous,  yet  many  ideas  and  discoveries 
of  permanent  value.  In  the  sixteenth  century  still  possible  to  believe 
in  the  philosopher's  stone  and  tlie  elixir  of  life.  Hence  superstitions 
of  Paracelsus  and  seeming  traits  of  the  charlatan.  Yet  sincerity  of 
Paracelsus.  A  pathmaker,  bitterly  contemptuous  toward  established 
learning,  naturally  violently  opposed  by  conventional  teachers.  His 
wide  travels  and  varied  contact  with  human  life.  Circumstances  of 
his  death  at  Salzburg  in  1541.  Value  of  his  mystical  philosophy  and 
range  of  his  real  contribution.  His  relation  to  the  scientific  and 
theological  upheaval  in  the  time  of  Erasmus  and  Luther. 

The  poem  in  relation  to  the  history. — .\ttraction  to  Browning  in  such 
a  character  as  Paracelsus;  attacked  as  charlatan  but  aspiring  out  and 
beyond  mankind.  Significance  that  Browning  chose  Paracelsus  as 
the  subject  of  his  first  great  work.  Compare  the  first  scenes  of  Faust 
written  before  Goethe  was  25.  The  youth  of  genius  as  expressed  in 
Browning. 

Truth  of  the  poem  to  the  historical  Paracelsus.  Bro^vning's  claim: 
how  far  justified.  Vitality  of  his  interpretation  of  the  epoch,  what- 
ever be  the  verdict  regarding  his  rendering  of  the  historical  character. 

Form  of  the  poem. — Paracelsus  really  five  dramatic  monologues, 
with  the  interjection  of  a  few  questions,  suggestions  and  comments 
by  the  friends  of  the  chief  character.  The  dramatic  monologue  here 
brought  less  strictly  v/ithin  true  artistic  limits  than  in  the  great  poems 
of  Browning's  middle  period.  Yet  vigor  of  his  use  of  it  and  char- 
acteristic expression  of  his  interest  in  human  life. 

Beauty  and  freedom  of  the  blank  venso.  The  niimber  of  passages  of 
unus;i;il  excellence.     The  larger  amount  of  nature  description  tlian  in 

23 


Brov.Tiing's  later  work.  Exquisiteness  of  the  inserted  lyrics;  how 
they  show  Shelley's  influence.  The  highest  passages  of  Paracelsus 
as  rising  in  poetic  beauty  to  the  level  of  Browning's  best  v.-ork. 

Sc3ne  I. — Wiirzburg,  1512;  Paracelsus,  19.  His  farewell  to  his 
friends,  Festus  and  Michal  (wife  of  Festus),  before  his  departure  on 
his  wandering  travels.  His  discontent  with  the  university  work; 
aspiration  toward  a  more  real  and  universal  knowledge.  His  sense 
that  it  would  be  death  to  live  the  commonplace  life — even  of  learn- 
ing. This  attitude  as  marking  the  youth  of  genius.  Good  and  evil 
in  it:   compare  in  Faust,  Goethe,  Bro^Tiing. 

Friendship  with  Festus. — Relation  of  the  two  young  men  to  each 
other.  Remonstrances  of  Festus  and  Michal,  yet  faith  in  their  friend 
and  in  his  vast  dreams.  Measure  of  dramatic  reality  in  Festus  and 
Michal. 

The  aim  of  Paracelsus. — Vagueness  of  the  aspirations  of  Paracelsus, 
yet  centering  on  the  hunger  to  know.  Compare  Faust's  desire.  Danger 
in  the  pride  that  seeks  to  be  apart  and  above  mankind. 

Why  Paracelsus  turns  to  a  life  of  wandering  in  order  to  fulfil  his 
aim.  Compare  the  pot  of  gold  at  the  end  of  the  rainbow — the  notion 
that  somewhere  else  is  all  that  we  desire.  "Wo  du  nicht  bist,  dort 
ist  das  Gliick ! ' '  This  notion  as  always  characteristic  of  youth.  Pathos 
in  its  expression  in  Paracelsus;   yet  deeper  significance. 

Relation  of  the  aspiration  of  Paracelsus  to  mankind.  Essential 
purity  and  loftiness  of  his  aim;  yet  a  certain  arrogance.  Distinction 
between  working  for  the  adventitious  applause  of  the  world  and  desir- 
ing the  warm  human  response.  How  the  intellect  isolates  while  the 
heart  unites.  Hence  loneliness  of  Paracelsus;  compare  Leonardo 
da  Vinci  and  Giordano  Bruno. 

The  theory  of  Paracelsus  that  truth  is  within  ourselves:  is  it  Brown- 
ing's? Measure  of  truth  and  error  in  the  conception;  its  relation  to 
the  character  of  Paracelsus. 

Scene  I  as  a  remarkable  expression  of  the  enthusiasms  and  ambi- 
tions of  the  youth  of  genius. 

Scene  11. — Paracelsus,  after  nine  years  of  wandering,  at  the  house 
of  a  Greek  fortune-teller  in  Constantinople,  writing  out  the  disappoint- 
ing story  of  his  life.  Dramatic  irony  in  the  title  "Paracelsus  attains."" 
Paracelsus  wakening  not  only  to  a  sense  of  failure,  but  to  a  recognition 
of  the  forfeiting  of  the  joys  of  common  human  life  which  the  vain 
pursuit  of  his  aim  has  involved.  Compare  St.  Francis  of  Assisi;  Cleon^ 
Faust  in  scene  I. 

Aprile. — Meeting  -nith  the  dying  poet.  Aprile  failing  in  seeking- 
to  love  infinitely,  as  Paracelsus  to  know  infinitely.  In  both  not  only 
the  opposition  between  love  and  knowledge,  but  a  striving  for  the 

27 


whole  of  the  aspect  sought,  while  neglecting  the  slow,  step-by-step 
process  through  which  either  is  attained.  Compare  the  failure  of 
Amiel.  Yet  to  recognize  the  nature  and  meaning  of  one's  failure, 
as  Paracelsus  partially  does,  after  all,  attainment. 

Scene  III:  apparent  success. — Festus  visiting  his  friend  at  Basile 
fourteen  years  after  scene  I.  Paracelsus  famous  and  with  hosts  of 
followers  in  the  university,  where  he  has  been  appointed  to  a  professor- 
ship. Yet  applauded  for  what  he  considers  his  weakness  and  failure, 
wlnle  his  real  aims  remain  as  unrecognized  as  unattained.  Bitterness 
in  such  a  situation.  How  the  world  imconsciously  spoils  a  leader  by 
eompeUing  liim  to  dwell  in  the  adventitious. 

Paracelsus 's  confession  of  himself  to  Festus;  reUef  in  such  a  self- 
revelation.  Hunger  of  Paracelsus  tliat  his  friend  may  see  tlirough 
the  vanity  of  his  success  to  his  inner  degradation  and  despair,  that  is, 
his  reality. 

Scathing  arraignment  of  the  popular  teacher's  audience.  How  they 
tempt  him  to  charlatanry.  Compare  Mr.  Sludge,  "the  Medium." 
Yet  the  truth  regarding  his  audience  Paracelsus  fails  to  see. 

Scene  III  as  the  tragedy  of  a  leader's  sufferings.  Beautiful  poetry 
into  which  the  scene  rises  toward  its  close. 

Scene  IV. — Dismissal  of  Paracelsus  because  he  chose  to  speak  the 
truth  instead  of  giving  his  audience  the  pretense  they  desired.  Deeply 
wounded,  Paracelsus  expressing  his  despair  in  a  wild  flame  of  laughter, 
enthusiasm,  contempt.  Like  Faust  reacting  against  the  failure  of 
the  intellect  to  Avhat  seems  most  real — the  uncontrolled  life  of  the 
senses.  Significance  that  Browning,  like  Goethe,  wrote  this  study  of 
restless  reaction  so  early. 

Impossibility  of  returning  to  lost  youth  and  the  forfeited  oppor- 
timities  of  the  conmion  hfe.  Michal's  death  the  last  touch  to  the 
despair  of  Paracelsus. 

Scene  V.— Festus  with  his  djing  friend,  29  years  since  the  first  scene. 
How  splendidly  Festus  rises  in  this  last  scene.  Value  in  human  life 
of  such  an  unequal  friendship. 

Wonderful  revelation  of  Paracelsus's  hfe  and  experience  in  the 
broken  wanderings  of  his  dying  brain.  His  sincerity  through  all, 
hence  reaUty  of  his  character. 

Paracelsus 's  attainment. — Pride  suppressed  at  last.  Now,  at  the 
end,  achievement  of  conceptions  that  make  aU  life  he  clear  in  the 
perspective  of  the  dying  hour.  Ideas  that  make  up  Paracelsus's 
attainment:  (1)  At  last,  conception  of  God,  of  imity  in  all  hfe,  and 
of  the  relation  of  man  to  God.  (2)  Recognition  of  the  nature  and 
meaning  of  human  life,  its  strength  and  weakness.  (3)  Conception 
of  the  relation  of  man  to  nature,  and  of  man  to  his  fellows  in  the  solidar- 

28 


ity  of  mankind.  (4)  Conception  of  the  relation  of  a  leader  to  his 
followers,  and  appreciation  of  the  higher  truth  of  common  life.  (5) 
Lastly,  recognition  by  Paracelsus  of  the  reasons  for  his  owti  failure. 

Significance  of  such  an  attainment.  The  range  of  Browning's 
central  teachings  expressed  in  it.  Marvelous  rising  of  the  poem  toward 
its  close. 

Value  of  the  poem. — Paracelsus  as  a  work  of  art:  chief  merits  and 
faults.  Value  of  the  poem  as  an  interpretation  of  an  epoch;  as  a 
study  of  great  and  permanent  problems;  as  an  expression  of  the  char- 
acter and  development  of  the  poet  who  gave  it  birth  in  his  youth. 

TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

1.  In  what  ways  is  Paracelsus  typical  of  BrowTiing's  greatest  work? 

2.  What  are  the  chief  faults  of  the  monologue  in  Paracelsus? 

3.  The  treatment  of  friendship  in  Paracelsus. 

4.  The  relative  value  of  the  lyrics  in  Paracelsus. 

5.  Browning's  character-drawing  in  Paracelsus. 

6.  Compare  Paracelsus  and  Faust. 

7.  Contrast  the  treatment  of  Nature  in  Paracelsus  and  in  Goethe's 

Sorrows  of  Werther. 

8.  Compare  Pauline  and  Paracelsus. 

9.  In  what  does  the  central  interest  of  Paracelsus  lie:  in  the  study 

of  personality,  the  interpretation  of  an  epoch,  or  the  presenta- 
tion of  a  great  ethical  problem? 

10.  Compare  Paracelsus  with  Tennyson's  early  work. 

11.  Compare  the  problem  of  Paracelsus  with  that  presented     in 

Sordello. 

12.  Why  is  Paracelsus  so  much  easier  to  read  than  Sordello? 

13.  Contrast  Bro-«-ning's  poetic  method  in  Paracelsus  and  in  Pippa 

Passes:   which  produces  the  higher  result? 

14.  Compare   in   artistic   effectiveness   Paracelsus   and   the   poems 

previously  studied. 

REFERENCES. 

Browning,  **Paracelsus;  *Pippa  Passes;  *Sordello;  *Pauline. 
Berdoe,  Browning's  Message  to  His  Time,  pp.  145-192,  *Paracelsus: 
The  Reformer  of  Medicine.  Brooke,  Poetry  of  Browning,  cliapter  IV, 
pp.  115-140.  Buck,  Browning's  Paracelsus  and  Other  Essays,  pp. 
13-60.  Chesterton,  *Robert  Browning.  Dowden,  Robert  Browning, 
chapter  II.  Fotheringham,  Studies  of  the  Mind  and  Art  of  Browning, 
chapter  V.  Royce,  The  Problem  of  Paracelsus,  Boston  Brovming 
Society  Papers,  pp.  221-248. 

29 


VI.     BROWNING'S     PHILOSOPHY     OF    ART     AND 
LIFE:   THE  RING  AND  THE   BOOK 

"Learn  one  lesson  hence 
Of  many  which  whatever  lives  should  teach: 
This  lesson,  that  our  human  speech  is  naught, 
Our  human  testimony  false,  our  fame 
And  human  estimation  words  and  wind. 
Why  take  the  artistic  way  to  prove  so  much? 
Because,  it  is  the  glory  and  good  of  Art, 
That  Art  remains  the  one  way  possible 
Of  speaking  truth,  to  mouths  like  mine  at  least. 
******* 

Art, — wherein  man  nowise  speaks  to  men, 
Only  to  mankind, — Art  may  tell  a  truth 
Obliquely,  do  the  thing  sliall  breed  the  thought, 
Nor  wrong  the  thought,  missing  the  mediate  word. 
So  may  you  paint  your  picture,  twice  show  truth, 
Beyond  mere  imagery  on  the  wall, — 
So,  note  by  note,  bring  music  from  your  mind, 
Deeper  than  ever  e'en  Beethoven  dived, — 
So  write  a  book  shall  mean  beyond  the  facts, 
Suffice  the  eye  and  save  the  soul  beside." 

— The  Ring  and  the  Book,  volimie  II,  p.  329. 


LECTURE  OUTLINE. 

Introduction. — The  Ring  and  the  Book  Browning's  longest  poem  and 
in  some  respects  his  masterpiece.  Composition  in  the  culminating 
period  of  his  work,  thus  representing  his  ripest  thought  and  fullest 
poetic  power.  Though  so  long  a  poem,  true  to  Browning's  cliar- 
acteristic  poetic  method,  the  dramatic  monologue.  The  Ring  and 
the  Book  a  series  of  dramatic  monologues  centering  upon  one  theme. 
Thus  each  portion  of  the  poem  fulfilling  the  functions  of  the  brief 
dramatic  monologues;  yet  in  The  Ring  and  the  Book  further:  (1)  The 
study  of  the  reaction  of  the  different  characters  upon  each  other;  (2)  The 
study  of  one  series  of  events  in  relation  to  a  group  of  individuals. 

30 


Thus  a  much  broader  weaving  of  the  web  of  human  life  than  in  the 
shorter  poems.  Not  only  the  study  of  the  same  critical  moment  in 
the  lives  of  the  different  individuals,  but  the  working  out  of  all  the 
complicated  action  and  reaction  of  these  upon  each  other.  Thus 
The  Ring  and  the  Book  the  best  opportunity  to  study  Browning's 
philosophy  of  art  and  life. 

Subject  of  The  Ring  and  the  Book, — The  Roman  murder  case  of 
1698:  such  a  story  as  the  modern  sensational  newspaper  would  exploit 
to  the  debauching  of  its  readers.  Browning's  finding  of  the  book, 
part  print,  part  manuscript,  relating  to  the  trial.  The  story  in  brief. 
This  as  the  story  retold,  from  liis  own  point  of  view,  by  each  of  the 
speakers  and  actors  in  the  poem. 

Truth  versus  fact. — The  painful  story  of  the  murder  case  not  only 
a  basis  for  pernicious  gossip,  but  material  through  which  one  may 
see  reverently  into  human  life.     The  book  as  containing: 

"Pure  crude  fact 
Secreted  from  man's  life  when  hearts  beat  hard. 
And  brains,  liigh-blooded,  ticked  two  centuries  since." 

Distinction  between  facts  and  truth.  Facts  the  material  through 
which  truth  may  be  discovered.  How  facts  may  he.  The  greatest 
test  of  the  intellect,  and  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  character,  the  ability 
to  see  wliat  facts  mean.  The  meaning  of  any  expression  of  a  human 
life  evident  only  in  true  relation  to  the  whole  life  embodied.  Thus 
the  evil  of  gossip  that  it  paws  over  the  external  expressions  of  char- 
acter utterly  out  of  relation  to  the  life  clothed  in  them. 

Thus  Browning's  view  of  truth  in  relation  to  life.  We  see  the  world 
from  the  point  of  our  own  experience  and  character.  For  man  truth 
relative;  no  view  absolute.  Hence  the  vision  dependent  upon  char- 
acter: to  see  truth  one  must  be  true.  The  reaction  of  an  individual 
upon  any  series  of  events  a  test  and  revelation  of  his  character.  Other 
factors  entering  into  the  appreciation  of  truth,  but  this  of  the  life 
the  basal  one.  Compare  the  people  who  always  ring  true;  who, 
brought  into  the  presence  of  a  new  range  of  facts,  pierce  unerringly 
through  them  to  what  they  half-conceal  and  half-reveal.  Such  people 
found  perhaps  as  often  among  those  unlearned  as  among  those  widely 
read  in  the  teaching  of  the  past,  though  all  sincere  contact  with  life 
helps  cultivate  such  insight. 

The  Ring  and  the  Book  as  the  application  of  this  principle  to  a  variety 
of  characters,  testing  and  revealing  each  by  his  reaction  on  the  central 
story. 

Browning's  theory  of  art. — His  view  of  truth  in  relation  to  fact  as 

31 


determining  Browning's  philosophy  of  art.  Because  presenting  truth 
in  relation  to  personality,  in  all  the  color  and  form  of  life,  art  able  to 
reveal  the  truth  as  is  possible  to  no  prosaic  statement  of  fact  in  science 
or  of  theory  in  philosophy.  Thus  the  lofty  function  of  art:  never 
merely  to  give  pleasure  (though  that  were  enough),  but  to  breed  wis- 
dom— the  insight  into  concrete  experience — to  "save  the  soul."  Brown- 
ing's unvarying  recognition  of  this  high  function  of  art  as  a  way  of 
life.  Fullest  statement  of  his  thought  in  The  Ring  and  the  Book.  As 
God  created  the  world,  so  art,  using  the  elements  of  God's  work,  creates 
its  world,  and  in  so  doing  reveals  the  truth  of  God's  world. 

Hence  the  image  of  the  poem:  the  goldsmith  takes  the  pure  gold  of 
the  mine,  mixes  alloy  to  work  it,  molds  it  into  the  ring  and  then  dissipates 
the  alloy.  There  remains  pure  gold,  but  more  than  gold — a  ring, 
to  carry  human  sentiment  and  seal  a  marriage.  So  Browning,  taking 
the  "pure  crude  fact"  of  this  Roman  murder  story,  brooding  over 
it  and  mixing  his  soul  with  it,  moulding  it  into  the  poem,  leaves  it 
gold,  but  gold  shapen  into  the  ring,  fact,  but  fact  interpreted,  its  truth 
revealed. 

How  this  process  tests  the  poet's  own  soul.  For  him  too  the  vision 
determined  by  the  moral  reality  of  his  character.  He  too  can  see 
truth  only  as  he  is  true.  Thus  revelation  of  Browning,  and  of  his 
character  and  life,  in  and  behind  all  the  figures  of  the  poem. 

The  first  Half-Rome. — Application  to  the  characters  of  the  poem 
of  the  theory  of  truth  in  relation  to  fact.  The  story  culminating  in 
the  murder  dropped  Uke  a  stone  into  the  midst  of  the  pond  of  public 
opinion  and  its  waves  rolling  either  way.  Thus  the  speaker  for  half- 
Rome  a  married  man,  suspicious  and  jealous  of  his  wife.  He  naturally 
sides  with  the  husband;  reacts  instantly  on  the  situation  from  the 
basis  of  his  own  experience.  Thus  half  the  world  choo.ses  a  side,  not 
because  that  side  is  or  is  not  the  truth,  but  because  through  tempera- 
ment, circumstances,  accident,  half  the  world  naturally  tends  that  way. 

The  other  Half-Rome. — Equally  accidental  the  reaction  of  the  other 
half  of  the  world.  The  speaker  for  this  half  an  unmarried  sentimental- 
ist, inclining  temperamentally  to  the  woman's  side  of  the  story.  No 
real  appreciation  of  Pompilia;  in  fact  admitting  what,  if  true,  would 
spoil  the  beauty  of  her  character.  Thus  this  speaker  and  the  half- 
Rome  he  represents  accidentally  on  the  side  that  happens  to  have 
the  truth,  but  without  real  recognition  of  the  truth. 

Tertium  Quid. — Always  when  the  world's  opinion  falls  into  two 
halves,  something  left  over:  the  reaction  of  the  third  somewhat,  the 
idle  rich  who  regard  themselves  as  aristocracy,  too  fine  to  take  sides 
in  the  quarrels  of  the  vulgar  world.  The  veneer  of  convention  separat- 
ing these  people  from  the  realities  of  human  life.     Their  false  notion 

82 


tliat  a  polite  cynicism  toward  love  and  work  is  a  mark  of  their  superior 
culture.  A  whole  literature  cursed  with  this  damning  tendency. 
The  view  of  these  who  regard  themselves  as  the  fashionable  clique 
further  from  the  truth  than  that  of  either  half  of  common  opinion. 
Yet  Caponsacclii  one  of  the  Tertium  Quid.  The  power  of  nature's 
gentleman,  once  awakened,  to  go  beyond  the  man  of  other  type. 

Guide  Franceschini. — Browning  passing  next  from  the  world's 
reaction  to  the  central  characters  in  the  tragic  drama.  Guido  the 
criminal.  Compare  ■with  him  Goethe's  Mephistopheles  and  Shake- 
speare's lago.  Guide's  nature  mere  hate  and  mahce.  As  he  is  utterly 
false,  so  no  perception  of  truth.  His  view  of  life  mere  loathsome 
falsehood.  Of  all  the  characters  of  the  poem,  his  darkness  the  farthest 
from  the  light  of  God's  truth. 

Machine-made  truth. — The  center  of  the  poem  and  the  crowTiing 
expression  of  BrowTiing's  insight  into  human  life  in  Caponsacchi, 
Poynpilia  and  The  Pope.  These  books  reserved  for  further  discussion. 
Not  content  with  studying  the  general  reactions  of  public  opinion, 
Browming  considers  further  the  process  the  world  sanctions  to  extract 
truth  from  facts  and  circumstances.  Thus  the  speeches  of  the  two 
hired  counsellors  whose  business  it  is  to  find  one  side  of  the  story  true. 
Effect  of  this  attitude  on  their  ability  to  see  the  truth.  BrowTiing's 
scathing  arraignment  of  the  process  of  law.  His  view  that  the  lawyer, 
paid  to  see  the  truth  all  on  one  side,  is  biased  beforehand  so  that  there 
is  no  hope  of  his  seeing  into  the  heart  of  such  a  human  tragedy  as  fur- 
nishes the  theme  of  the  poem.  Measure  of  justice  in  Browning's 
attitude.     Compare  the  views  of  great  lawyers  such  as  Lincoln. 

Thus  the  defender  of  Guido:  garrulous,  conceited,  pompous,  aiming 
to  present  a  brilliant  classical  argument  in  defense  of  Guido  and  thus 
conquer  his  legal  adversary.  The  one  touch  of  humanity  in  liim  liis 
love  of  his  boy. 

So  the  opposing  counsel:  Pompiha's  defender  seeking  through  the 
finesse  of  argumentation  to  work  upon  the  judges.  His  utter  failure 
to  appreciate  Pompilia  and  Caponsacchi;  compare  what  he  is  willing 
to  concede  regarding  them!  Something  terrible  in  this  machine  process 
of  law  which,  after  all,  merely  interprets  and  carries  further  the  reac- 
tion of  the  two  halves  of  Rome. 

Conclusion. — Thus  the  relation  of  the  different  types  and  individuals 
to  the  truth;  but  behind  them  all  Bro\\Tiing.  His  moral  reality,  his 
experience,  his  contact  with  human  life  as  his  equipment  for  inter- 
preting the  human  story.  The  full  exemplification  of  his  own 
philosophy  of  art  in  the  poem. 


33 


TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

1.  Compare  in  poetic  method  Pippa  Passes  and  The  Ring  and  the 

Book:   which  method  is  the  more  effective? 

2.  Compare  in  artistic  and  philosophic  value  Paracelsus  and  The 

Ring  and  the  Book. 

3.  Browning's  theory  of  art. 

4.  Browning's  view  of  the  sources  of  insight  into  the  truth  of  human 

Ufe. 

5.  Could  any  of  the  books  of  The  Ring  and  the  Book  be  omitted 

or  much  shortened  without  seriously  hampering  Browning's 
aim? 

6.  Is  Guido  a  possible  character? 

7.  Compare  Guido  with  Goethe's  Mephistopheles  and  Shakespeare's 

lago. 

8.  Compare  the  measure  of  insight  into  human  life  in  the  Tertium 

Quid  and  the  two  halves  of  Rome. 

9.  Is  Browning's  view  of  the  legal  counsellors  and  the  process  of 

law  just? 

10.  Compare  in  artistic  and  philosophic  value   The  Ring  and  the 

Book  and  the  brief  poems  studied. 

11.  How  far  does  BrowTiing  fulfil  his  own  theory  of  art  in  The  Ring 

and  the  Book? 


REFERENCES. 

Browning,  **The  Ring  and  the  Book,  books  I-V,  VIII,  IX,  XI, 
XII;  **Essay  on  Shelley.  Alexander,  Introduction  to  Brovming, 
chapter  IV.  Brooke,  Poetry  of  Browning,  chapter  XVI,  pp.  391-413. 
Dorchester,  *  Brovming' s  Philosophy  of  Art,  Boston  Browning  Society 
Papers,  pp.  99-117.  Dowden,  *Robert  Browning,  chapter  XII.  John- 
son, Conscience  and  Art  in  Brovming.  Scudder,  The  Life  of  the  Spirit 
in  the  Modem  English  Poets,  chapter  V.  Thomson,  Biographical  and 
Critical  Studies,  pp.  458-477.  West,  *One  Aspect  of  Browning's 
Villains. 


94 


VIL     THE     CROWNING     REVELATION    OF    MAN- 
HOOD: CAPONSACCHI. 

"And  surely  not  so  very  much  apart 
Need  I  place  thee,  my  warrior-priest, — in  whom 
What  if  I  gain  the  other  rose,  the  gold. 
We  grave  to  imitate  God's  miracle. 

^^  ^  ^*  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^P 

Be  glad  thou  hast  let  light  into  the  world 
Through  that  irregular  breach  o'  the  boimdary, — see 
The  same  upon  thy  path  and  march  assured, 
Learning  anew  the  use  of  soldiership. 
Self-abnegation,  freedom  from  all  fear, 
Loyalty  to  the  life's  end!     Ruminate, 
Deserve  the  initiaton.^  spasm, — once  more 
Work,  be  unhappy  but  bear  life,  my  son!" 

— The  Pope's  estimate  of  Caponsacchi,  The  Ring  and  the  Book,  vol.  II, 
pp.  196-200. 


LECTURE   OUTLINE. 

Introduction. — Tlie  preparation  for  Caponsacchi.  Culmination  of 
the  poem  in  the  monologues  by  him  and  by  PompiUa.  Caponsacchi 's 
the  most  perfectly  dramatic  of  all  the  monologues  of  the  poem.  Com- 
pare how  Bro'uming  shows  greatest  dramatic  truth  in  portrajnng  a 
character  like  himself.  Contrast  Shakespeare's  abihty  to  paint  mth 
equal  truth  a  Desdemona,  an  Othello  and  an  lago. 

Situation  at  the  opening  of  Caponsacchi 's  monologue:  Pompilia 
in  the  hospital  dying  of  the  stabs  inflicted  by  her  husband:  Caponsacchi, 
who  sought  to  save  her,  recalled  by  the  judges  who  had  sentenced 
him  for  his  attempt,  and  asked  to  tell  once  more  the  storj'  by  the 
Ught  of  the  terrible  event.  His  whole  nature  quivering  under  the 
traged}-.  How  his  splendid  manhood  shines  forth  in  the  broken 
utterances  but  majestic  spirit  in  which  he  begins  his  statement. 

The  relation  of  Caponsacchi  to  the  truth. — Of  all  the  characters  of 
the  poem,  Caponsacchi  nearest  the  heart  of  the  truth,  with  the  one 

35 


exception  of  Pompilia.  The  cause  of  this  the  truth  of  his  spirit.  Thus 
the  many  expressions  of  his  relation  to  the  truth.  Compare  (lines 
116-127)  his  sense  that  the  truth  is  now  evident,  but  too  late  to  save 
Pompilia!  His  perception  (lines  140-143)  that  one  great  lesson  of 
life  is  recognizing  our  own  failure.  His  desire  to  show  the  judges  the 
truth,  that  is,  "Pompilia  who  is  true,"  that  they  may  appreciate  her 
nobility  and  the  truth  thus  be  helpful  to  human  beings  in  new  cases 
that  arise  (hnes  146-172). 

Caponsacchi's  meaning  in  saying  Pompilia  has  done  the  good  to 
him.  Significance  that  he  can  say  it  in  the  presence  of  the  terrible 
tragedy.  How  through  Pompilia  Caponsacchi  was  bom  into  love 
and  truth.  Thus  the  marvel  of  personal  hfe.  Love  and  truth  as  the 
two  absolute  ends  of  the  human  spirit.  Caponsacchi's  hunger  to 
serve  Pompilia  in  the  one  poor  way  remaining  to  him :  the  telling  once 
more  of  the  story  that  her  truth  may  appear. 

The  story  of  Caponsacchi's  life. — How  Caponsacchi  came  to  be  a 
priest;  his  vows  discounted  before  taken.  His  careless  life  before 
Pompilia  touched  him  and  his  soul  wakened — the  mere  butterfly 
sipping  the  honey  of  every  garden-flower.  Caponsacchi  before  his 
great  experience  as  a  perfect  type  of  the  Tertium  Quid. 

His  first  sight  of  Pompilia.  How  immediately  each  soul  recognized 
the  other.  Browning's  success  in  making  Pompilia  stand  out  vividly 
before  our  eyes  through  the  few  lines  of  Caponsacchi's  description. 
Contrast  the  vagueness  of  Michal  in  Paracelsus. 

The  reaching  out  of  Caponsacchi's  soul  to  help  Pompilia;  significance 
of  this  attitude.  Guido's  malicious  scheme  to  trap  both  wife  and 
priest  in  a  ruin  that  would  glut  his  hate.  Opposite  result  because 
of  the  truth  of  those  he  would  make  his  victims. 

Pompilia 's  appeal. — Pompilia 's  first  call  to  Caponsacchi  to  save  her 
life  for  the  sake  of  the  life  God  had  trusted  to  her.  How  each  instantly 
recognized  the  other's  truth  and  thus  pierced  at  once  through  Guido's 
miserable  cheat.  How  love  means  such  a  recognition  of  one  personality 
by  another. 

Caponsacchi's  answer. — The  strange  first  effect  of  Pompilia 's  appeal 
upon  Caponsacchi:  his  awakening  to  the  majestic  laws  underlying 
all  life  and  hence  his  life.  Thus  turned  back  upon  the  vows  and  duties 
he  had  been  ignoring,  but  which  take  on  new  sacredness  through  the 
birth  of  his  soul.  Truth  of  this  to  human  character,  and  remarkable 
evidence  of  Browning's  grasp  of  the  deepest  things  of  human  life. 
Compare  Miriam  and  Donatello  in  The  Marble  Faun. 

The  second  appeal. — Caponsacchi's  horizon  clearing;  his  recognition 
that  the  true  service  of  God  was  the  answering  of  the  individual  woman's 
need.     The  splendid  directness  with  which  he  performs  the  service. 

36 


The  ride  to  Rome. — Utter  reverence  of  Caponsacchi  toward  Pompilia 
through  all  the  long  ride  together  for  the  sake  of  her  safety.  The 
source  of  his  reverence:   can  love  be  religion? 

Caponsacchi 's  feeling  that  the  whole  world  must  be  transformed 
by  the  great  experience  that  has  come  to  him.  Thus  strange  to  him 
that  others  should  go  on  about  the  same  old  routine  of  life.  The  value  of 
a  great  experience  in  thus  helping  us  to  break  through  the  heavy  crust 
of  convention  and  custom  into  the  light  and  air  and  to  a  fresh  testing 
of  all  things  by  the  immediate  standards  of  the  soul.  How  all  Brown- 
ing's greatest  work  rests  upon  such  a  testing  of  life  through  his  own 
supreme  experience. 

The  situation  when  Guido  overtakes  Pompilia  and  Caponsacchi. 
How  it  appears  to  the  world;   the  truth  in  Browning's  view. 

The  court's  previous  judgment.  How  completely  the  several  judges 
failed  to  see  the  true  meaning  of  the  situation  because  of  their  character 
as  human  beings.  Caponsacchi 's  summing  up  of  the  whole  story 
for  the  judges  that  they  may  see  the  truth. 

Caponsacchi's  attitude  toward  Guido.  Is  he  right  in  regretting 
that  he  did  not  kill  Guido?  Terrible  power  in  the  lines  in  which  he 
compares  Guido  to  Judas  (lines  1858-1925). 

Caponsacchi  and  Pompilia. — Caponsacchi's  statement  that  when 
he  and  Pompilia  rushed  each  on  each,  the  spark  of  truth  was  struck 
out  from  their  souls  (lines  1785-1787);  and  that  he  "assuredly  did 
bow,  was  blessed  by  the  revelation  of  Pompilia"  (lines  1833-1841). 
Significance  of  his  insistence  upon  the  supreme  service  she  has  done 
him.  The  power  of  tlie  deepest  personal  experiences  to  develop  wis- 
dom and  insight  in  comparison  Avith  the  other  channels  through  which 
deep  lessons  may  be  learned. 

Caponsacchi's  different  uses  of  the  word  "love."  His  repudiation 
of  any  ordinary  use  of  the  word  in  describing  his  relation  to  Pompilia. 
Absence  in  his  attitude  toward  her  of  all  selfish  demand  to  be  answered 
and  satisfied.  But  hunger  to  serve  her  evermore,  to  lift  up  and  pro- 
tect and  bless  her.  Deep,  reverent,  tender  reaching  out  of  his  spirit 
toward  her.  Did  Caponsacchi  love  Pompilia?  The  plane  upon  which 
the  word  must  be  used  if  we  answer  affirmatively. 

Caponsacchi's  description  of  her  face:  how  wonderfully  Browning 
has  grown  since  portraying  Michal  and  Palma.  Sources  of  his  power 
here. 

The  dream  of  what  might  have  been  but  never  can  be!  How  Capon- 
sacchi rises,  and  with  what  frankness  he  can  tell  his  dream  of  what 
life  would  be  with  her,  because  of  the  purity  of  liis  attitude  and — 
because  she  lies  dying!  The  moving  power  of  the  poetry:  was  Brown- 
ing dreaming  over  his  own  supreme  loss? 

37 


Caponsacchi's  closing  view  of  life. — The  way  life  withdraws,  and  the 
perspective  of  the  spirit  in  which  it  appears,  through  the  effect  of  the 
great  tragedy.  Caponsacchi's  unwavering  recognition  that  God's 
sun  shines,  even  though  his  own  life  be  utterly  in  the  shadow.  Signifi- 
cance that  he  can  accept  with  such  splendid  heroism  in  the  face  of  all 
that  has  come  to  him.      Source  of  his  power  to  keep  the  truth  of  life. 

Browning's  view  that  it  is  more  important  to  love  than  to  be  loved. 
The  relative  effect  of  the  two  modes  of  love  upon  the  human  character. 
Compare  the  expression  of  the  same  truth  in  The  Last  Ride  Together, 
in  Evelyn  Hope,  in  BrowTiing's  own  experience.  This  the  heart  of  all 
Browning's  philosophy  of  personal  life.  Thus  the  significance  of  that 
philosophy. 

Conclusion. — What  lies  ahead  for  Caponsacchi?  Compare  the 
souls  in  Dante's  second  limbo  who  "without  hope,  live  on  in  desire." 
Extent  to  which  the  description  applies  to  Caponsacclii.  Has  he 
bought  the  spiritual  vision  by  the  loss  of  certain  capacities  of  his  own 
life?     Must  it  be  so  purchased? 

The  splendid  heroism  and  majestic  manhood  with  which  the  book 
closes.  Is  there  in  all  literature  a  greater  portrayal  of  manhood  at 
once  human  and  spiritual,  masculine  and  transfigured,  supremely 
loving  but  utterly  -nithout  selfish  demands? 

The  value  of  Caponsacchi  and  his  heroic  attitude  toward  life  for 
our  own  faith  and  experience. 


TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

1.  The   measure   of   dramatic   truth   in    Browning's   portrayal   of 

Caponsacchi. 

2.  Compare  Caponsacchi  and  Paracelsus. 

3.  Browning's  view  of  personal  love. 

4.  The  significance  of  the  effect  upon  Caponsacchi  of  Pompilia's 

first  appeal  to  him. 

5.  In  what  ways  did  Pompilia  help  Caponsacchi? 

6.  Compare  Caponsacchi's  relation  to  Pompilia  with  Dante's  to 

Beatrice  in  the  Vita  Nuova. 

7.  What  is  the  relative  value  of  great  personal  experience  as  com- 

pared with  other  channels  through  which  wisdom  may  be 
attained? 

8.  Compare  Caponsacchi  and  Valence  in  Colombe's  Birthday. 

9.  Contrast  Caponsacchi  and  the  speaker  in  Fifine  at  the  Fair. 

10.  Compare  Caponsacclii  and  the  men  characters  of  The  Inn  Album. 

11.  The  relation  of  Caponsacchi  to  the  truth. 

38 


12.  What  makes  it  possible  for  Caponsacchi  to  accept  life  heroically 

in  spite  of  the  tragedy? 

13.  What  possible  future  could  there  be  for  Caponsacchi  at  the 

conclusion  of  his  part  in  the  tragedy? 

14.  Compare  the  situation  of  Caponsacchi  with  that  of  the  souls  in 

the  second  limbo  of  Dante's  Inferno. 

15.  Compare  the  view  of  personal  love  taken  in  The  Ring  and  the 

Book,  and  in  The  Last  Ride  Together,  Evelyn  Hope  and  Colombe's 
Birthday. 

16.  Compare  Caponsacchi  and  Shakespeare's  heroes. 


REFERENCES. 

Browning,  **The  Ring  and  the  Book,  especially  book  VI,  **Capon- 
sacchi;  **The  Last  Ride  Together;  *Evelyn  Hope;  *Colombe's  Birthday; 
*Fifine  at  the  Fair;  *The  Inn  Album.  Buclianan,  Master  Spirits, 
pp.  89-109.  Cooke,  *  Browning's  Theory  of  Romantic  Love,  Boston 
Brovming  Society  Papers,  pp.  84-98.  Innes,  Seers  and  Singers,  pp. 
99-124.  Jones,  *The  Uncalculating  Soul,  Boston  Brovming  Society 
Papers,  pp.  130-152.  Machen,  The  Bible  in  Brovming.  Morley, 
Studies  in  Literature,  pp.  255-285.  Nettleship,  Robert  Brovming, 
pp.  9-45.     Sharp,  Victorian  Poets,  pp.  40-102. 


39 


Vm.    BROWNING'S    INTERPRETATION    OF 
WOMANHOOD:    POMPILIA. 

"  Earth's  flower 
She  holds  up  to  the  softened  gaze  of  God!" 
— The  Pope's  estimate  of  Pompilia,  The  Ring  and  the  Book,  vol.  11, 
D.  194. 


LECTURE  OUTLINE. 

Introduction. — As  Caponsacchi  is  Browning's  highest  interpreta- 
tion of  manhood,  so  Pompilia  his  most  wond^ful  reading  of  the 
woman  soul.  These  two  characters  unique  in  literature:  and  the 
books  portraying  them  as  the  heart  of  the  whole  poem. 

The  relation  of  Browning's  Pompilia  to  the  character  revealed  in 
the  documents  of  the  murder  case.  Browning's  statement  that  he 
found  her  substantially  as  he  has  portrayed  her.  If  so,  the  more 
wonder  that  life  and  not  art  could  produce  this  miracle  of  transfigured 
womanhood.  Browning's  art  none  the  less  wonderful  in  rev^ealmg 
her  to  us  than  if  she  were  entirely  the  creation  of  his  own  imagination. 
Of  all  the  characters  of  the  storj-,  PompiUa  most  of  all  burning  up  into 
the  pure,  white  hght  of  truth,  because  of  them  all  she  is  most  utterly 
true. 

Artistic  qualities  of  book  Vn. — Browning's  portrayal  of  Pompilia 
less  perfectly  true  dramatically  than  his  Caponsacchi.  Words  and 
images  occasionally  used  by  Pompilia  not  entirely  in  keeping  with 
her  experience  and  knowledge.  Compare  Shakespeare's  lifting  a 
character  to  a  plane  of  more  complete  expression  with  Browning's 
tendency  to  make  his  characters  at  times  speak  his  o^ti  language  as 
well  as  thoughts.     What  this  indicates  of  Browning's  dramatic  power. 

Yet  substantial  truth  to  her  character  in  Pompilia's  dramatic  mono- 
logue. How  Browning  makes  her  hve  for  us.  Contrast  the  dramatic 
power  here  and  in  the  portrayal  of  Michal  in  Paracelsus  and  Palma  in 
Bordello.  Exquisite  character  of  the  verse  and  imagery  in  the  most 
moving  portions  of  Pompilia's  monologue. 

40 


I 


Situation  in  book  VII. — Pompilia,  mortally  wounded  by  her  husband, 
dying  in  the  hospital;  but  before  going  gathers  her  strength  together 
and  tells  over  the  story  of  her  hfe  and  fate,  that  the  truth  (chiefly  for 
Caponsacchi's  sake)  may  appear. 

The  perspective  that  the  dying  hour  brings:  how  the  coarser  realities 
of  life  seem  to  fade  away  for  Pompilia,  and  only  the  spiritual  meaning 
underneath  to  stand  out  clearly.  Thus  her  sufferings  seem  far  away 
and  dream-like  to  her,  while  the  two  great  strongholds  of  her  faith 
in  life — her  child  and  Caponsacchi — stand  forth  unshadowed  by  the 
gloom  of  the  past. 

Pompilia's  story. — Pompilia's  review  of  her  life,  first  outlining  the 
brief  whole  and  then  going  over  in  detail  the  sahent  points.  Her 
mother.  Violante's  deception.  Pompilia's  innocent  girlhood.  How 
she  grew  up  as  it  were  a  white  lily  sprung  from  a  dung-heap.  Her 
relation  to  her  foster-parents.  The  pathetic  story  of  her  marriage: 
Pompilia's  ignorance  as  well  as  utter  innocence. 

Pompilia's  relation  to  the  truth. — The  view  of  life  to  which  Pompilia 
has  come.  Her  perception  of  the  good  alone  as  permanent.  The 
dying  hour  acting  upon  her  spiritual  vision  like  Dante's  Lethe  and 
Eunoe  upon  his  view  of  hfe.  Pompilia's  perfect  trust:  is  it  justified? 
How  she  exemplifies  the  truth.  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they 
shall  see  God."  Her  insight  and  wisdom;  these  as  dependent,  not  at 
all  upon  ordinary  knowledge,  but  upon  her  character,  her  sufferings 
and  her  great  personal  experiences.  How  true  her  reaction  upon  every 
test  of  her  experience. 

Browning's  view  of  personal  life. — The  opportunity  in  portraying 
Pompilia  for  an  expression,  by  indirection,  of  Bro\\Tiing's  view  of  the 
most  intimate  relations  of  himaan  life.  Difficulty  in  discussing  these; 
purity  and  nobility  of  Browning's  attitude;  perhaps  nowhere  else  is 
his  contribution  so  important.  His  teaching  that  the  body  is  the 
garment  of  the  soul,  that  every  outer  expression  is  significant  only 
as  it  embodies  something  deeper  than  itself.  Thus  the  love  that  is  a 
consecration  of  the  spirit  as  what  makes  sacred  and  beautiful  all  rela- 
tions of  the  outer  life.  Hence  Pompilia  entirely  right  in  her  instinctive 
reaction  upon  her  relation  to  her  husband.  How  any  claim  of  "  rights  " 
or  "duties"  must  blemish  the  most  wonderful  relationship  of  hmnan 
life.  The  bases  in  character  and  experience  of  Browning's  insight 
into  these  problems. 

Pompilia's  motherhood. — The  two  attitudes  toward  her  child  possible 
in  such  circumstances  as  Pompilia's:  (1)  Resentment  of  it  as  Guido's 
child;  (2)  A  more  intense  love  of  it  that  the  inheritance  of  Guido's 
hate  might  be  utterly  blotted  out  and  the  child  be  wholly  -RTapped 
about  with  love.     Evidence  of  Pompiha's  heroic  womanhood  in  her 

41 


rising  to  the  noble  attitude.  Her  splendid  response  to  the  call  of  the 
life  deeper  than  her  life.  How  Pompilia  rises  at  the  point  where 
Goethe's  Margaret  goes  do-v\Ti. 

The  significance  of  Browning's  interpretation  of  womanhood.  How 
can  a  man  see  into  a  woman's  soul  as  he  reads  Pompilia's?  Sources 
of  his  power.     The  value  of  his  teaching  concerning  motherhood. 

Pompilia  and  Caponsacchi. — How  Pompiha  hungers  to  ser\'e  Capon- 
sacchi,  as  he  her.  Thus  her  desire  to  make  the  truth— his  truth- 
appear.  Her  story  of  her  first  sight  of  him.  The  frankness  with 
which  she  expresses  how  her  spirit  immediately  went  out  to  him. 
Her  feeUng  like  his  in  the  experience,  but  her  expression  even  more 
frank  and  transparent.  This  as  evidencing  the  higher  purity  of  her 
spirit  and  her  innocence  of  the  worid.  How  Caponsacchi 's  years  of 
careless  living  and  his  knowledge  of  the  world's  inevitable  reaction 
would  make  him  withhold  and  explain.  The  power  to  speak  frankly 
but  delicately  of  the  deepest  things  of  hvmian  life  as  a  test  of  the  purity 
of  one's  oTs-n  character. 

Pompilia's  account  of  her  call  to  Caponsacchi  and  his  coming.  Her 
instantaneous  recognition  of  him.  How  love  involves  a  discovery  of 
one  life  by  another.  The  difference  in  Pompilia's  telling  of  the  story 
from  Caponsacchi 's.  Browning's  skill  in  differentiating  the  two 
monologues,  with  equally  remarkable  character-drawing  in  each.  The 
revelation  in  Pompilia  of  what  is  essentially  and  permanently  woman- 
hood. Her  pride  in  Caponsacchi,  in  his  strength,  courage,  resource- 
fulness.    Her  cry: 

"Oh,  to  have  Caponsacchi  for  my  guide! 
Ever  the  face  upturned  to  mine,  the  hand 
Holding  my  hand  across  the  world, — a  sense 
That  reads,  as  only  such  can  read,  the  mark 
God  sets  on  woman,  signifying  so 
She  should — shall  peradventure — be  divine; 
Yet  'ware,  the  while,  how  weakness  mars  the  print 
And  makes  confusion,  leaves  the  thing  men  see." 

Pompilia's  sense  of  how  Caponsacchi  has  helped  her.  Her  desire, 
for  his  sake,  that  the  service  should  be  all  successful.  Her  instinc- 
tive recognition  that  she  has  the  easier,  Caponsacchi  the  harder,  part. 
Thus  the  closing  portion  of  her  monologue  devoted  wholly  to  him. 
The  marvelous  poetry  to  which  the  book  rises  and  with  which  it  con- 
cludes. Is  there  anywhere  a  more  glorious  song  of  what  personal  life 
ought  to  be,  and  may  be,  when  the  outer  life  is  the  garment  of  the 
inner,  and  love  is  a  desire,  not  to  take,  but  to  bless  evermore? 

42 


Pompilia's  exultant  acceptance  of  the  death  that  frees  her  from 
Guido.  Absence  of  any  spirit  of  hate  toward  him.  Thus  in  entire 
love  and  glad  acceptance  of  life  she  goes  out. 

The  final  judgment:  the  Pope. — Except  Bro\raing's  own  view  the 
Pope  as  giving  the  final  judgment  of  the  story.  The  Pope's  character — 
old,  good,  long-experienced  in  men  and  books  alike.  How  he  prepares 
for  passing  judgment  on  Guido  and  his  fellow-murderers  by  reading  a 
history,  thus  gaining  a  spiritual  perspective.  His  summing  up  of 
each  of  the  three  principal  characters.     His  decision. 

The  Pope's  relation  to  the  truth.  His  the  wide,  balanced  vision 
of  life  in  relation,  due  to  a  good  character  crowned  by  learning  and 
widely  experienced  in  men  and  events.  Thus  his  the  judgment  nearest 
God's.  Yet  even  he,  Browning  thinks,  does  not  bum  up  into  the  white 
soul  of  the  truth  like  Pompilia  or  touch  the  heart  of  the  concrete  mean- 
ing of  life  like  Caponsacchi. 

The  poet  and  the  poem. — Behind  all  the  characters  of  The  Ring 
and  the  Book,  Browning.  His  equipment  to  get  at  the  truth:  compare 
in  character  and  temperament,  in  experience,  in  study  and  art.  Brown- 
ing's personal  life  as  the  basis  of  his  portrayal  of  Caponsacchi  and 
Pompilia;   the  light  this  fact  throws  on  the  meaning  of  personal  life. 


TOPICS  FOR  STUDY  AND  DISCUSSION. 

1.  The  measure  of  dramatic  truth  in  Pompilia's  monologue. 

2.  Compare  the  character-drawing  in  The  Ring  and  the  Book  and 

in  Paracelsus. 

3.  Pompilia's  relation  to  the  truth. 

4.  Compare  Pompilia's  insight  with  the  Pope's  msdom. 

5.  Why  is  Pompilia  even  more  frank  than  Caponsacchi  in  telling 

the  story  of  their  relation  to  each  other? 

6.  Compare  Pompilia  and  Michal  in  Paracelsus. 

7.  Compare  Pompilia  and  Colombo  in  Colomhe's  Birthday. 

8.  In  what  respects  does  Browning  excel  in  his  portrayal  of  woman- 

hood? 

9.  What  are  the  sources  of  Browning's  insight  into  womanhood? 

10.  Compare  Pompilia  and  Dante's  Beatrice. 

11.  Compare  Pompilia  and  Goethe's  Margaret. 

12.  Browning's  view  of  marriage. 

13.  Bro^\'ning's  interpretation  of  motherhood. 

14.  Compare  Pompilia  •with  Shakespeare's  heroines. 


4S 


REFERENCES. 

Browning,  **The  Ring  and  the  Book,  especially  book  VII,  **Pompilia, 
and  book  X,  *The  Pope;  **One  Word  More;  *By  the  Fireside;  *At  the 
Mermaid;  *House;  *Shop;  *Pisgah-Sights;  *Numpholeptos;  *A  Forgive- 
ness; *Epilogue  to  Pacchiarotto;  *Reverie.  Brooke,  *Poetry  of  Robert 
Browning,  chapters  XIII,  XIV.  Bury,  Browning's  Philosophy.  Ches- 
terton, *Robert  Browning.  Dawson.  Makers  of  Modern  English, 
chapters  XXX,  XXXI.  Dowden,  Studies  in  Literature,  pp.  191-239. 
Moulton,  Library  of  Literary  Criticism,  volume  VII,  pp.  677-720. 
Preston,  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Browning.  Ritchie,  Records  of  Tennyson, 
Ru^kin  and  Browning,  pp.  197-311. 


44 


SUGGESTIONS  TO   STUDENTS. 

Browning  is  distinctly  a  poet  to  be  studied  rather  than  merely  read. 
While  much  of  his  poetry  can  be  enjoyed  at  a  single  reading,  hard 
work  is  necessary  to  give  one  a  full  grasp  of  his  message  and  apprecia- 
tion of  his  art.  Moreover,  his  best  work  has  at  least  one  mark  that 
classes  it  with  the  masterpieces  of  world  literature — the  quality  of 
being  inexhaustible,  rewarding  repeated  study  with  ever  deeper  truth 
and  beauty. 

Thus  students  should  read  over  and  over  the  poems  to  be  discussed 
in  this  course  until  every  line  is  familiar.  Next  in  value  to  these  texts 
are  Browning's  other  works,  especially  those  recommended  in  the 
references  following  each  lecture  outline.  Constant  comparison  should 
be  made  between  one  poem  and  another  with  the  aim  of  appreciating 
the  essential  characteristics  of  Browning's  art  and  the  great  ideas  to 
which  he  most  frequently  returns. 

Next  in  value  to  Browning's  own  work  are  those  collections  of  in- 
formation assumed  by  Browning  in  his  poems,  and  hence  necessary 
to  the  intelligent  reading  of  them.  Of  these,  Berdoe's  Browning 
Cyclopedia  is  perhaps  the  most  useful;  Cooke's  Browning  Guide-Book 
and  the  notes  to  the  Camberwell  and  new  Riverside  editions  are  also 
excellent. 

Biographies  of  Browning  (such  as,  Mrs.  Orr's,  Dowden's,  Herford's, 
Sharp's,  Chesterton's,  and  the  Browning  Letters)  come  next  in  value. 
While  Browning  was  opposed  to  the  poet's  wearing  his  heart  upon  his 
sleeve  and  resented  the  biographer's  intrusion  into  the  intimacies 
of  the  artist's  life,  nevertheless  Browning's  greatest  work  would  have 
been  impossible  except  for  the  deeps  of  his  personal  experience,  and 
his  philosophy  becomes  doubly  illuminating  when  seen  in  relation  to 
his  own  cliaracter  and  development. 

Criticism,  even  when  appreciative,  should  be  given  a  distinctly 
subordinate  place  and  used  mainly  to  stimulate  the  student's  thinking 
after  his  own  view  of  Browning's  poetry  and  philosophy  has  been 
clearly  formulated. 

Above  all,  thinking  is  more  important  than  much  reading.     All 

45 


great  art  is  an  illumination  and  interpretation  of  human  life;  thus 
one's  own  life  is  in  turn  the  key  to  the  understanding  of  the  work  of 
art.  All  the  great  experiences  of  human  life  are  in  some  form  in  the 
past  of  the  himiblest  of  us;  thus  each  has  within  himself  the  material 
for  the  understanding  of  the  deepest  poetry.  There  is  plenty  of  lum- 
ber in  anyone's  attic;  what  people  need,  as  Emerson  put  it,  is  "a 
lamp  to  ransack  their  attics  withal."  There  is  plenty  of  experience 
in  your  past  life,  what  you  need  is  the  light  of  thought  to  interpret 
it.  The  lamp  is  hard  to  light,  and  only  constant  care  and  effort  wU 
keep  it  burning,  but  nothing  can  take  its  place. 

An  effort  to  work  out,  in  advance  of  the  lecture,  as  many  as  possible 
of  the  topics  following  the  lecture  outline  will  help;  and  expression 
of  one's  thinking  in  a  note  book,  to  oneself,  or  with  a  group  of  fellow- 
students,  will  do  much  to  clarify  thought.  A  nebulous  idea  becomes 
a  clear  conception  only  through  expression;  thus  the  effort  to  formu- 
late thought  is  the  greatest  discipline  to  thinking. 


BOOK   LIST. 

Books  starred  are  of  special  value  in  connection  with  this  course',  those  double- 
starred  are  texts  for  study  and  discussion,  or  are  otherwise  of  first  importance. 

Browning,  **Works,  Camherwell  edition,  12  volumes,  with  introduc- 
tions and  notes  by  Charlotte  Porter  and  Helen  A.  Clarke.  T.  Y. 
CroweU  &  Co.,  New  York,  1898. 

This  edition  is  in  convenient  form  and  is  well  annotated. 
The  new  Riverside  edition  in  6  volumes,  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co., 
Boston,  1899,  contains  introductions  and  notes  embodying  the 
excellent  material  from  Cooke's  Browning  Guide-Book.  The 
Cambridge  edition,  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston,  1895,  is  an 
admirable  edition  of  all  Browning's  works  in  one  volume,  but  the 
type  is  necessarily  small.  The  edition  in  2  volumes,  by  Augustine 
Birrell,  The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1896,  is  excellent  and  the 
type  is  a  little  more  easy  to  read  than  in  the  Cambridge  edition. 
Numerous  volumes  of  selections  from  BrowTiing  are  currently 
published,  among  the  most  satisfactory  of  which  are  those  by 
Smith,  Elder  &  Co.,  London,  and  D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New  York. 

Browning,  R.  and  E.  B.,  *Letters,  2  vols.,  pp.  574  and  571.  Harper 
&  Bros.,  New  York,  1899. 

Browning,  Elizabeth  Barrett,  *Letters,  edited  by  Frederic  G.  Kenyon. 
2  vols.,  pp.  xiv  +  478  and  vi  +  464.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  New 
York,  1897. 

46 


Bibliography  of  Robert  Browning  by  F.  J.  Fumivall.     In  London  Brown- 
ing Society's  Papers,  part  i,  pp.   21-115;  part  ii,  pp.   117-170, 

Triibner  &  Co.,  London,  1881  and  1883. 

See  also  Materials  for  a  Bibliography  of  Robert  Browning.     In 

NicoU   and  Wise,   Literary  Anecdotes  of  the  Nineteenth  Century, 

vol.  1,  pp.  361-627.     Hodder  &  Stoughton,  London,  1895. 
Alexander,  William  John,  An  Introduction  to  the  Poetry  of  Robert  Brown- 
ing.    Pp.  iv  +  212.     Ginn  &  Co.,  Boston,  1889. 
Beale,   Dorothea,   The  Religious   Teaching  of  Browning.     In  London 

Browning  Society's  Papers,  part  iii,  pp.  323-338.     Triibner  &  Co., 

London,    1882.     Also    reprinted    in    Berdoe,    Browning    Studies, 

pp.  76-91. 
Berdoe,  Edward,  Browning  and  the  Christian  Faith.     Pp.  xx  +  231. 

The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1896. 
Berdoe,  Edward,  **The  Browning  Cyclopaedia.     Pp.  xviii  +  576.     The 

Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1902. 
Berdoe,  Edward,  Browning's  Message  to  His  Time.     Pp.  222.     Swan 

Sonnenschein  &  Co.,  London,  1890. 
Berdoe,  Edward  (editor),  *  Browning  Studies,  being  Select  Papers  by 

Members  of  the  London  Browning  Society.    Pp.  xii  +  331.    George 

Allen,  London,  1895. 
Berdoe,  Edward,  A  Primer  of  Brouming.    Pp.  vi  +  124.    E.  P.  Button 

&  Co.,  New  York,  1904. 
Birrell,  Augustine,  Obiter  Dicta,  Series  I,  pp.  55-95,  On  the  Alleged 

Obscurity  of  Mr.  Bro"v\Tiing's  Poetry.     Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 

New  York,  1893. 
Bolton,  Sarah  K.,  Famous  English  Authors  of  the  Nineteenth  Century, 

pp.  389-451,  Robert  Browning.      T.  Y.  Crowell  &  Co.,  New  York, 

1890. 
*  Boston  Browning  Society  Papers   (The),   Selected   to  Represent  the 

Work  of  the  Society  from  1886  to  1897.     Pp.  viii  +  503.     The 

Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1897. 

Some  excellent  papers,  falling  into  several  connected  series. 
Bradford,  Amory  H.,  Spiritual  Lessons  from  the  Brownings.     Pp.  38. 

T.  Y.  Crowell  &  Co.,  New  York,  1900. 
Bronson,  Katherine  C,   Browning  in  A  solo.     In   Century  Magazine, 

vol.  59,  pp.  920-931.     April,  1900. 
Bronson,  Katharine  DeKay,  Browning  in  Venice.     In  Century  Magazine, 

vol.  63,  pp.  572-584.     Februarj-,  1902. 
Brooke,  Stopford  A.,  *The  Poetry  of  Robert  Browning.     Pp.  iv  +  447. 

T.  Y.  Crowell  &  Co.,  New  York,  1902. 

An  admirable,  well-balanced  study.     Perhaps  the  best  general 

criticism  of  Browning  yet  published. 

47 


Buchanan,   Robert,  Master  Spirits,  pp.   89-109,  The  Ring  and  the 

Book:    Browning's  Masterpiece.     Henry  S.  King  &  Co.,  London, 

1873. 
Buck,  J.  D.,  Browning's  Paracelsus  and  Other  Essays,  pp.  13-60,  Brown- 
ing's Paracelsus.     The  Robert  Clarke  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.,  1897. 
Bulkeley,  H.  J.,  The  Reasonable  Rhythm  of  Some  of  Browning's  Poems. 

In  London  Browning  Society's  Papers,   part  viii,   pp.    119-131. 

Triibner  &  Co.,  London,  1886. 
Burton,  Richard,  Ldterary  Likings,  pp.  150-171,  Renaissance  Pictures 

in  Browning's  Poetry.     Copeland  &  Day,  Boston,  1898. 
Bury,  John,  Browning's  Philosophy.     In  London  Browning  Society's 

Papers,  part  iii,  pp.  259-277.     Tiirbner  &  Co.,   London,   1882. 

Also  reprinted  in  Berdoe,  Browning  Studies,  pp.  28—16. 
Carpenter,  W.  Boyd,  The  Religious  Spirit  in  the  Poets,  pp.  202-247, 

Browning.     T.  Y.  CroweU  &  Co.,  New  York,  1901. 
Cary,    Elizabeth  Luther,    Browning;   Poet   and   Man.     Pp.   ix  +  282. 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York,  1899. 
A  compilation  vnih.  excellent  illustrations. 
Chesterton,  G.  K.,  *  Robert  Browning.     Pp.  v  +  207.     The  Macmillan 

Co.,  New  York,  1903. 

An  excellent  book,  strongly  original  and  freshly  stimulating. 

The  love  of  rather  brilliant  paradoxes  is  its  chief  fault.     At  times, 

too,  the  author  seems  almost  flippant;   yet  the  real  spirit  of  the 

book  is  earnest  and  deeply  appreciative  of  Browning. 
Clark,  J.  Scott,  A  Stuxiy  of  English  and  American  Poets,  A  Laboratory 

Method,    pp.    658-713,    Robert    Browning.     Charles    Scribner's 

Sons,  New  York,  1900. 
Cooke,  George  Willis,  */l  Guide-Book  to  the  Poetic  and  Dramatic  Works 

of  Robert  Browning.     Pp.   xvi  +  451.     Houghton,   Mifflin   &   Co., 

Boston,  1901. 
Cooke,  George  Willis,  Poets  and  Problems,  pp.  269-388,   Browning. 

Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston,  1893. 
Corson,  Hiram,  *An  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Robert  Browning's 

Poetry.     Pp.  x  +  367.     D.  C.  Heath  &  Co.,  Boston,  1889. 
Curtis,  George  William,  From  the  Easy  Chair,  pp.   197-208,  Robert 

Bro'miing  in  Florence.     Harper  &  Bros.,  New  York,  1892. 
Dawson,  W.  J.,  The  Makers  of  Modern  English,  pp.  270-327,  Browning. 

Hodder  &  Stoughton,  London,  1890. 
Dowden,  Edward,  *Robert  Browning.     Pp.  xvi  +  404.     E.  P.  Dutton 

&  Co.,  New  York,  1904. 
Dowden,  Edward,  Studies  in  Literature,  1789-1877,  pp.  191-239,  Mr. 

Tennyson   and   Mr.    Browning.     Kegan    Paul,   Trench,    Trubner 

&  Co.,  London,  1899. 

48 


Fleming,   Albert,   Andrea  del  Sarto.     In   London  Browning  Society's 

Papers,  part  viii,  pp.  95-102.     Triibner  &  Co.,  London,  1886. 
Fotheringham,  J.,  Studies  of  the  Mind  and  Art  of  Robert  Browning. 

Pp.  xxviii  +  576.     Horace  Marshall  &  Son,  London,  1898. 
Gosse,  E.,  Robert  Browning;   Personalia.     Pp.  96.     Houghton,  Miflflin 

&  Co.,  Boston,  1890. 
Grant,    Percy    Stickney,    Brouming's   Art   in   Monologtie.     In    Boston 

Browning  Society  Papers,  pp.  35-66. 
Harford,   Charles  H.,  Robert  Browning.     Pp.  xi  +  309.     Dodd,  Mead 

&  Co.,  New  York,  1905. 
Hubbard,  Elbert,  Little  Journeys  to  the  Homes  of  English  Authors,  vol. 

vi,  no.  2,  pp.  25-50,  Robert  Browning.     The  Roycrofters,  East 

Aurora,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  1900. 
Hutton,  Richard  Holt,  Literary  Essays,  pp.   188-243,  Mr.  Browning. 

The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1888. 
Hyde,  W.  De  Witt,  The  Art  of  Optimism  as  Taught  by  Robert  Browning. 

Pp.  35.     T.  Y.  CroweU  &  Co.,  New  York,  1900. 
Innes,  A.  D.,  Seers  and  Singers.     Pp.  223.     A.  D.  Innes  &  Co.,  London, 

1893. 
Johnson,  E.,  Conscience  and  Art  in  Brovining.     In  London  Browning 

Society's  Papers,  part  iii,  pp.  345-380.     Triibner  &  Co.,  London, 

1882. 
Jones,   Henry,   Browning   as   a  Philosophical  and  Religious   Teacher. 

Pp.  xvi  +  349.     The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1899. 
Little,  Marion,  Essays  on  Robert  Browning.     Pp.  204.     Swan  Sonnen- 

schein  &  Co.,  London,  1899. 
London  Browning  Society's  Papers.    Published  by  Triibner  &  Co.,  1881- 

1891. 
A   mine   of   interesting   material.     Only   the   most   important 

papers  are  listed  here. 
Mabie,  Hamilton  Wright,  Essays  in  Literary  Interpretation,  pp.  99-137, 

Browning.     Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.,  New  York,  1892. 
Machen,   Minnie  Gresham,   The  Bible  in  Browning;    with  Particular 

Reference  to  The  Ring  and  the  Book.     Pp.  290.     The  Macmillan 

Co.,  New  York,  1903. 
Mazzini,  Joseph,  Life  and  Writings,  vol.  14,  pp.  1-55,  *The  Philosophy 

of  Music.     Smith,  Elder  &  Co.,  London,  1891. 
Mellone,  Sydney  Herbert,  Leaders  of  Religious  Thought  in  the  Nineteenth 

Century.     Pp.  viii  +  302.    Wm.  Blackwood  &  Sons,  London,  1902. 
Molineux,  Marie  Ada,  A  Phrase  Book  from  the  Poetic  and  Dramatic 

Works  of  Robert   Browning.     Pp.    xiii  +  520.    Houghton,   Mifl^ 

&  Co.,  Boston,  1896. 

References  to  the  Riverside  and  Cambridge  editions. 
4  49 


Morley,  Jolin,  Studies  in  Literature.  Pp.  347.  The  Macmillan  Co., 
New  York,  1897. 

Moulton,  Charles  Wells  (editor),  *The  Library  of  Literary  Criticism 
of  English  and  American  Authors,  vol.  7,  pp.  677-720,  Robert 
Browning.     Moulton  Publishing  Co.,  Buffalo,  1904. 

Nettleship,  John  T,,  Robert  Browning;  Essays  and  Thoughts.  Pp. 
xii  +  454.     Elkin  Mathews,  London,  1890. 

Ormerod,  Helen  ].,Abt  Vogler,  The  Man.  In  London  Browning  Society's 
Papers,  part  x,  pp.  221-236.     Tnibner  &  Co.,  London,  1889. 

Ormerod,  Helen  J.,  Andrea  del  Sarto  and  Abt  Vogler.  In  London  Brown- 
ing Society's  Papers,  part  xi,  pp.  297-311.  Triibner  &  Co.,  Lon- 
don, 1890.  Also  reprinted  in  Berdoe,  Browning  Studies,  pp.  151-165. 

Ormerod,  Helen  J.,  Some  Notes  on  Brouming's  Poems  Referring  to 
Music.  In  London  Brovming  Society's  Papers,  part  ix,  pp.  180- 
195.  Triibner  &  Co.,  London,  1888.  Also  reprinted  in  Berdoe, 
Brovming  Studies,  pp.  237-252. 

Orr,  Mrs.  S.,  *A  Handbook  to  the  Works  of  Robert  Browning.  Pp. 
XV  +  420.     George  Bell  &  Sons,  New  York,  1892. 

Orr,  Mrs.  S.,  *Life  and  Letters  of  Robert  Brovming.  2  vols.,  pp.  xii  and 
ix  +  646.     Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  New  York,  1892. 

Pigou,  Arthur  Cecil,  Robert  Browning  as  a  Religious  Teacher.  Pp. 
xii  +  132.     The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1901. 

Porter,  Charlotte,  and  Clarke,  Helen  A.,  Brovming  Study  Programmes. 
2  vols.,  pp.  xxiv  +  631.  To  accompany  the  CamberweU  Browning. 
T.  Y.  CroweU  &  Co.,  New  York,  1900. 

Porter,  Charlotte,  and  Clarke,  Helen  A.  (editors),  Poet-Lore.     1889-. 

This  magazine  has  from  its  commencement  devoted  a  large  part 
of  its  pages  to  Browning.  The  volumes  should  be  consulted  for 
valuable  articles  and  notes. 

Preston,  Harriet  Waters,  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Brovming.  In  Atlantic 
Monthly,  vol.  83,  pp.  802-826.     June,  1899. 

Ritchie,  Anne  Isabella  Thackeray,  Records  of  Tennyson,  Ru^kin  and 
Brovming,  pp.  197-311,  Robert  and  EUzabeth  Browning.  The 
Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1893. 

Scudder,  Vida  D.,  The  Life  of  the  Spirit  in  the  Modern  English  Poets. 
Pp.  V  +  349.  See  especially  chapter  V,  pp.  201-238,  ♦Brown- 
ing as  a  Humorist.     Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston,  1895. 

Sharp,  Amy,  Victorian  Poets.  Pp.  xx  +  207.  Methuen  &  Co.,  London, 
1891. 

Sharp,  William,  Life  of  Robert  Brovming.  Pp.  219  +  xxii.  Walter 
Scott,  London,  1890. 

Stedman,  Edmund  Clarence,  Victorian  Poets.  Tp.  xxiv  +  521.  Houj^- 
ton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston,  1893. 

50 


Strong,  Augustus  Hopkins,  The  Great  Poets  and  Their  Theology,  pp. 
373-447,  Browning.  American  Baptist  Publication  Society, 
PhUadelphia,  1897. 

Symons,  Arthur, ^n  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Browning.  Pp.  vi  +  221. 
CasseU  &  Co.,  London,  1897. 

Thomson,  James,  Biographical  and  Critical  Studies,  pp.  437-483, 
Browning.     Reeves  &  Turner,  London,  1896. 

Tumbull,  Mrs.,  Aht  Vogler.  In  London  Brovming  Society's  Papers, 
part  iv,  pp.  469-476.  Trubner  &  Co.,  London,  1883.  Also 
reprinted  in  Berdoe,  Browning  Studies,  pp.  143-150. 

Vasari,  Giorgio,  Ldves  of  the  Painters,  Sculptors  and  Architects.  6  vols. 
Vol.  3,  pp.  180-236,  Andrea  del  Sarto.  George  Bell  &  Sons,  New 
York,  1892-1900. 

Walker,  Hugh,  The  Greater  Victorian  Poets.  Pp.  332.  The  Macmillan 
Co.,  New  York,  1895. 

Waugh,  Arthur,  Robert  Brovming.  Pp.  xiv  +  155.  Small,  Maynard 
&  Co.,  Boston,  1900. 

West,  Miss  E.  D.,  One  Aspect  of  Browning's  Villains.  In  London  Brovm- 
ing Society's  Papers,  part  iv,  pp.  411-434.  Trubner  &  Co.,  Lon- 
don, 1883.  Also  reprinted  in  Berdoe,  Browning  Studies,  pp. 
106-129. 

Whitman,  Sarah  W.,  Robert  Brovming  in  His  Relation  to  the  Art  of 
Painting.     Pp.  22.     Browning  Society,  Boston,  1889. 

Wilson,  F.  Mary,  A  Primer  on  Browning.  Pp.  viii  +  248.  The  Mac- 
miUan  Co.,  New  York,  1891. 


51 


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University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 

Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Birds 


1.  The  Living  Bird.  4.  A  Robber  Family. 

2.  Color  in  the  Bird  World.  5.  The  Bird-lover  in  Winter. 

3.  Mating  and  Migrating.  6.  A  Few  Familiar  Birds. 


By 

Samuel  Christian  Schmucker,  Ph.  D., 

Professor  of   the  Biological   Sciences   in  the  West   Chester  State  Norma 

School,  West  Chester,  Pa. 


No.  264  Price,  10  cents 

Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


REFERENCES. 

Pycraft,  W.  P.     The  Story  of  Bird-Life.     A  Wessels  Company,  New 
York. 

An  excellent  simple  account  of  the  structure  and  life  of  birds. 
Basket,  James  Newton.     The  Story  of  the  Birds.     D.  Appleton  &  Com- 
pany. 

Similar  to  the  last  in  purpose:  more  popular  and  less  authoritative. 
Chapman,  Frank  M.     Bird-Life.     D.  Appleton  &  Company. 

Quite  the  best  book  for  the  beginner.     Popular  without  being 
unscientific. 
Handbook  of  the  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America. 

The  best  field  book  for  one  who  has  gotten  past  the  rudiments. 
Hoffman,  Ralph.     A  Guide  to  the  Birds  of  New  England  and  Eastern 
New  York.     Houghton,  MifRin  &  Company. 
Good  for  its  seasonal  keys. 
Parkhurst,  H.  E.     The  Bird's  Calendar.     Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 

Describes  the  birds  month  by  month  that  visit  Central  Park. 
Mathews,  F.  Schuyler.     Field  Book  of    Wild  Birds  and  their  IVIusic. 
G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons. 

A  commendable  attempt  to  note  the  song  of  our  most  familiar 
birds. 
Newton,  Alfred.     A  Dictionary  of  Birds.     Adam  and  Charles  Black, 
London. 

A  veritable  storehouse  of  valuable  information  on  the  scientific 
aspects  of  the  bird  world. 


LECTURE  I. 
The  Living  Bird. 

1.  The  structure  of  an  animal  must  fit  his  work, 

And  is  in  reality  the  result  of  that  work. 
Flight  has  determined  the  form  of  the  bird. 
II.     There  must  be  a  delicate  mechanism, 

With  a  form  adapted  to  cleaving  the  air: 
With  weight  as  light  as  possible. 

The  bony  skeleton  is  hollow,  and 

The  clothing  is  the  lightest  known 
And  at  the  same  time  the  warmest. 
The  center  of  gravity  is  low  in  the  body. 
The  wings  are  broad  and  thin,  giving  power. 

Often  the  bird  has  a  broad  tail  for  steering. 

III.  The  power  must  be  great.     This  is  gained 

From  rapid  consumption  of  food. 

Which  is  also  highly  concentrated;    and 
From  rapid  combustion  at  high  temperature. 

IV.  The  result  is  flight — the  acme  of  locomotion, 

Both  for  rapidity  of  travel 
And  for  grace  of  movement. 
V.     The  joj'ousness  of  bird  life  is  correspondingly  great, 
Showing  itself  in  ecstasies  of  flight 
And  in  outbursts  of  song. 

REFERENCES. 

(a)  Pycraft,  The  Story  of  Bird-Life.     Chapters  I,  III,  IV. 
(6)  Chapman,  Bird-Life.     Chapters  I  and  II. 

(c)   Newton,  Dictionary  of  Birds.     Articles  on  Flight,  Feathers  and 
Anatomy. 

QUESTIONS. 

L  Wliy  does  a  bird  have  a  keel  on  his  breast  bone? 

2.  What  gives  the  ostrich  plume  its  peculiarities? 

3.  Of  what  use  is  a  bird's  tail? 

4    What  forms  the  chief  food  of  birds? 


(») 


LECTURE  n. 

Color  in  the  Bird  World. 

I.     The  color  of  a  bird  lies  chiefly  in  the  feathers. 
Except  where  the  body  is  naked. 
These  colors  may  be  due  either 

To  pigments  from  changes  in  the  blood-color,  or 
To  the  structure  of  the  feathers. 
II.     Color  has  been  settled  by  Natural  Selection  into  two  classes: 
Protective  coloration, 

Which  is  always  inconspicuous,  against  its  accustomed  back- 
ground. 

Ground  birds  are  commonly  a  streaked  brown. 
Birds  amongst  the  leaves  are  often  olive. 
Most  birds  are  lighter  beneath,  where  least  lighted. 
Attractive  coloration, 

WTiich  is  always  conspicuous, 

To  attract  the  other  members  of  the  flock;   or 
To  attract  a  mate,  in  which  case  it  is  confined 
To  the  males  for  the  most  part,  and 
To  the  mating  season. 
III.     This  has  been  the  chief  temptation  to  the  slaughter  of  the  birds. 
This  slaughter  is  probably  on  the  wane. 

REFERENCES, 
(a)  Pycraft,  The  Story  of  Bird-Life.     Chapter  II. 
(6)  Chapman,  Bird-Life.     Chapter  III. 
(c)   Dictionary  of  Birds,  Article  on  Colour. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Describe  the  difference  in  color  between  the  male  and  the  female 
of  the  English  Sparrow. 

2.  What  is  meant  by  protective  coloration? 

3.  Is  the  bird  conscious  of  this  protective  value? 

4.  Is  the  movement   for  bird  protection  sentimental  rather  than 
practical? 


LECTLTIE  III. 
Mating  and  Migrating. 

I.     Nest  building  is  instinctive  with  the  birds, 

One  act  furnishing  the  stimulus  for  the  next. 
Generally  speaking,  the  higher  the  bird  the  better  the  nest. 
Many  low  birds  nest  on  the  ground,  the  young  often  running 
early. 


Others  nest  in  banks  or  in  hollows  of  trees. 
Still  others  build  on  branches  or  pendant  beneath  them. 
Nests  are  commonly  built  by  the  mother. 
The  father  often  feeds  mother  and  young. 
Sometimes  he  alternates  with  her  on  the  nest. 
The  food  of  the  young  often  diiTers  from  that  of  the  parents. 
Courtship  with  the  birds  is  aesthetically  beautiful. 

The  grossne-ss  of  the  lower  animals  has  largely  disappeared. 
Both  color  and  song  grow  attractive  at  this  time. 
II.     Our  bird  population  is  constantly  changing. 

This  change  is  coincident  with  the  change  of  the  seasons. 
The  flight  is  often  a  verj-  long  one, 

The  males  usually  leading. 
The  cause  of  migration  is  Aer\-  obscure. 

Cold  of  itself  probably  has  little  direct  effect. 
But  changes  the  food  conditions. 

Escape  from  the  crowded  tropics  is  probably  a  reason. 
This  offers  greater  safetj'  to  the  young. 

REFERENCES. 

(a)  Pj-craft,  The  Story  of  Bu-d-Life.     Chapters  VI,  VII,  and  MIL 
(6)  Chapman,  Bird-Life.     Chapters  IV  and  VI. 
(c)   Ne'^'ton,    Dictionary    of    Birds.     Articles    on    Nidification    and 
Migration. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  the  effect  of  polygamy  on  the  appearance  and  behavior 
of  the  rooster? 

2.  Name  all  the  birds  you  know  by  the  voice. 

3.  Is  this  the  home  of  our  summer  birds? 

4.  How  does  cold  affect  birds? 


LECTURE  IV. 

A  Robber  Family. 

I.     The  old  systematists  divided  the  animals  into  families, 
^Tiich  were  simply  meant  to  express  resemblances. 
They  builded  better  than  they  knew. 
True  families  embrace  blood  relatives. 
A  bird  famih'  is  built  for  the  life  its  members  lead, 
11.     The  birds  of  prey  are  built  for  a  life  of  violence. 
The  hawk  is  the  type  of  the  family. 


e 

His  trim  built  form  cleaves  the  air. 
His  strong  wings  give  him  speed  of  flight. 
His  broad  tail  gives  him  accuracy. 
His  strong,  curved  talons  give  him  power  of  grasp. 
He  pursues  and  captures  living  prey. 
The  vulture  is  adapted  to  eating  dead  flesh. 
His  flight  is  wider  ranging, 

Because  dead  flesh  is  less  common  than  live. 
His  beak  and  talons  are  far  weaker. 
His  feathers  are  rolled  back  from  his  head. 
He  is  one  of  our  most  valuable  birds. 
The  owl  is  adapted  to  night  ranging. 

His  feathers  are  soft  for  warmth  and  silence. 
His  large  eyes  are  set  well  to  the  front. 
Perhaps  he  is  an  adopted  child. 

And  is  really  related  to  the  nighthawk. 

If  so,  this  is  "parallelism." 

REFERENCES. 

(a)  Pycraft,  The  Story  of  Bird  Life,  Chapter  X. 

(6)  Chapman,  Bird-Life,  Pages  104  to  112. 

(c)  Chapman,  Handbook  of  Birds.  Order  Raptores.  Read  all  the 
family  descriptions  under  this  order,  and  the  full  descriptions  of  the 
six  best  knowTi  species. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  meant  by  a  family  amongst  the  birds? 

2.  What  is  the  main  food  of  the  hawks?  j 

3.  Wliy  is  the  owl  so  heavily  feathered? 

4.  What  is  meant  by  parallelism  in  animals? 


LECTURE  V. 

The  Bird-lover  in  Winter. 

I.     On  grounds  of  residence  our  birds  may  be  divided  into 

Permanent   residents,   transient   visitants,   summer  residents 
winter  residents. 
II.     Permanent  residents  are  often  not  truly  such. 
A  few  species  actually  remain  wath  us. 
The  grouse  and  the  bobwhite  do  so. 
The  crow  collects  but  does  not  trvly  migrate. 


Most  so-called  permanents  give  place  to  others  of  the  same  kind. 
The  downy  woodpecker  and  the  nuthatch  haunt  the  tree- 
trunks. 
Downy  keeps  head  up,  the  nuthatch  is  indifferent. 
Amongst  the  twigs  we  will  find,  often, 
The  goldfinch  and  the  bluebird. 

Which  will  be  much  altered  from  the  spring  color. 
The  chickadee,  the  tree  sparrow,  and  the  junco. 
III.     Winter  is  a  good  time  to  begin  bird  study. 

The  trees  are  bare,  and  the  birds  easily  seen. 
There  are  few  birds  to  distract  the  new  student. 
New  acquaintances  will  arrive  gradually. 

REFERENCES. 

(a)  Pycraft,  The  Story  of  Bird-Life,  Chapter  XI. 

(6)  Chapman,  Bird-Life,  Study  the  six  birds  on  this  list  that  are 
least  familiar  to  you. 

(c)  Chapman,  Handbook  of  Birds.  Read  the  sections  on  the  Picidao 
and  the  Tetraonidae. 

QUESTIONS. 

L  On  what  will  winter  birds  feed? 

2.  What  is  the  proper  name  of  the  common  snowbird?  Do  you 
know  him?     How  do  you  distinguish  him? 

3.  What  are  the  advantages  of  winter  bird  study? 


LECTURE  VI. 

A  Few  Familiar  Birds. 

I.     This  list  is  only  for  beginners. 

It  embraces  a  fev.-  common  and  conspicuous  summer  birds. 
These  birds  can  be  easily  learned  in  a  season. 
II.     Birds  much  larger  than  the  robin. 

Many  times  as  large,  black  all  over, — crow. 
Half  again  as  big  as  robin. 

Black  all  over, — grackle  (blackbird). 

Blue,  black  and  white,  along  streams, — kingfisher. 

Blue,  black  and  white,  in  the  woods, — jay. 

Bro^Ti  striped  on  back,  yellow  on  breast,  on  ground, — mead- 

owlark. 
Brown  striped,  white  on  rump,  on  trunks, — flicker. 


8 

About  size  of  robin  or  slightly  smaller. 
Conspicuously  and  evenly  dark  on  back. 

With  white  breast  and  white  tip  to  tail, — kingbird. 

With  orange  shoulder  tips,— redwing  blackbird. 

With  orange  breast, — Baltimore  oriole. 

With  brown  breast, — orchard  oriole. 
Conspicuously  gray,  dark  crown, — catbird. 
Conspicuously  bro'v\-n  on  back. 

Dark  brown,  brick  red  breast, — robin. 

Rust  brown,  speckled  breast, — thrasher. 

Olive  brown,  speckled  breast, — woodthrush. 
Conspicuously  red  all  over,  with  crest, — cardinal. 
About  sparrow  size. 

Red,  with  black  wings  and  tail, — tanager. 

Blue  all  over. — indigo  bird. 

Blue  with  reddish  breast ,— bluebird. 

Yellow  with  black  wings  and  tail. — goldfinch. 

Striped  with  black,  brown  and  gray,  triangle  on  breast,— 

song-sparrow. 
Distinctly  smaller  than  sparrow. 

Bro\vn  back,  white  breast,  chestnut  crown, — chippy. 
Gray,  with  small  dark  check  on  wings  and  tail, — A^Ten. 

REFERENCES. 

(a)  Read  from  any  bird  book  the  description  of  the  six  birds  on  the 
list  that  are  least  familiar  to  you. 

(b)  Read  from  Chapman's  Bird-Life  the  description  of  the  six  birds 
on  this  list  that  are  least  familiar  to  you. 

(c)  Read  from  Chapman's  Handbook  of  Birds  the  sections  describ- 
ing the  Icteridae  and  the  Turdidae. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Why  is  a  "bird  in  the  bush  worth  two  in  the  hand"? 

2.  Name  the  birds  of  this  list  with  which   you  are  personally  ac- 
quainted. 

3.  Do  you  object  to  the  English  sparrow?     If  so,  why? 

4.  What  is  the  value  of  bird  study  to  a  city  dweller? 


University  Extension   Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


British   India 


1.  The    Land    and   its    Peoples: 

Foreign  Adventurers. 

2.  French  and  English  Rivalry. 

3.  The  British  Empire  of  India. 


4.  The   Problem   of  Governing 

India. 

5.  The  Mutinv,  1857. 

6.  Modem  India. 


By 
Ramsay  Muir,  M.  A. 

Staff   Lecturer  in  History  and  Literature   for  the   London,  the  Liverpool 
and  the  American  Societies  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching 


No.  265 


Price,  10  cents 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Tetchinj 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia.  Pa. 


BOOKS. 

A.  D.  INNES.  Short  History  of  British  India;  a  convenient  brief 
epitome. 

Sir  W.  W.  Hunter.  History  of  British  India,  especially  Vol.  1. 
Sir  William  Hunter  did  not  live  to  complete  bis  life  work,  but 
bis  first  volume  is  far  tbe  best  account  of  early  European  enter- 
prises in  India. 

Rulers  of  Modern  India  Series;  especially  the  volume  on  Clive, 
Warren  Hastings,  Wellesley  and  Dalbousie. 

Macaulay.     Essays  on  Clive  and  Warren  Hastings. 

Seeley.    Expansion  of  England,  Part  II. 

Malleson.     The  French  in  India. 

Rice  Holmes.    History  of  the  Indian  Mutiny. 

Lord  Roberts.    Fifty-one  Years  in  India. 

Tbe  best  general  history  of  India  on  a  large  scale  is  Mill's,  edited 
by  Wilson,  whose  additions  do  much  to  remedy  Mill's  bias, 
which  is  often  pronounced. 


LECTURE  I. 

The  Land  and  its  Peoples     Foreign  Adventurers. 

The  main  features  of  the  geography  of  India :  how  they  help  to 
explain  its  history.  Especially  note  the  broad  distinctions  be- 
tween the  fertile  and  populous  Ganges  valley  and  the  Dekhan 
plateau. 

The  peoples  of  India.  A  strange  mixture  of  races,  without  unity 
or  even  the  beginnings  of  national  sentiment.  The  only  common 
name  for  the  country  was  invented  by  Europeans.  To  deep- 
seated  distinctions  of  race  and  language  must  be  added  still  more 
embittering  distinctions  of  religion.  There  has  never  been  an 
Indian  nation.  This  explains  why  foreign  conquest  and  foreign 
dominance  has  been  possible.  India  has  always  been  ruled  by 
foreign  masters,  who  have  always  held  their  place  by  the  aid  of 
native  arms. 

The  Mogul  Empire  for  a  time  gave  some  semblance  of  political 
unity  to  this  confusion.  Its  greatness  under  Akbar.  But  its  decay 
under  Aurungzebe.  Causes  of  its  fall  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century. 

The  confusion  of  India  after  the  fall  of  the  Mogul  Empire.  In- 
dependent "Viceroys" ;  military  adventurers ;  the  Mahrattas  and 
their  power. 

On  the  edge  of  this  weltering  chaos  a  few  European  trading 
posts :  as  good  a  chance  for  these  traders  as  for  any  other  foi*- 
eigners. 

Early  European  enterprises  in  India.  The  Portuguese  and  Al- 
buquerque :  the  Portuguese  Empire.  The  first  English  adventur- 
ers— Captain  Thomas  Best  and  Captain  Nicholas  Downton.  The 
French  East  India  Company  in  the  later  Seventeenth  Century. 


LECTURE  II. 

French  and  English  Rivalry. 

Recapitulation  of  the  position  of  French  and  English  in  India 
about   1740.     The   great   idea   of   the   possibility   of   creating   an 

(3) 


Empire  occurs  to  Dupleix,  perhaps  the  greatest  Frenchman  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century.  His  methods  and  his  astounding  success. 
All  southern  India  at  his  feet  and  his  English  rivals  at  his  mercy. 
But  (])  he  was  unsupported  from  home,  and  (2)  he  had  not  com- 
mand of  the  sea. 

The  crisis  of  1751.  Clive  and  the  siege  of  Arcot.  English  pre- 
dominance established  in  the  Cai'natic. 

The  question  of  Bengal :  Surajah  Dowlah  and  the  Black  Hole. 
Plas.sey,  1757 :  the  English  supreme  also  in  Bengal. 

The  amazing  rapidity  and  ease  with  which  the  British  power 
had  been  established — in  six  years.  Nature  of  this  power,  c.  1765. 
The  drawbacks  of  government  by  Chartered  Company.  The  evils 
of  power  without  responsibility. 

French  rivalry  resumed  on  the  outbreak  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution. Warren  Hastings  and  his  difficulties.  French  influence 
with  native  powers — the  Nizam,  Mysore,  the  Mahrattas. 

The  French  attempt  renewed  during  the  French  Revolutionai'y 
wars,  with  little  success.  Napoleon's  dreams  of  India  never  des- 
tined to  be  realized.  His  attempts  only  provoked  the  immense  Eng- 
lish advance  under  Wellesley,  to  be  recorded  later. 


LECTURE  III. 

The  British  Empire  of  India. 

Clive  and  even  Warren  Hastings  left  England  supreme  only  in 
two  districts  of  India :  Bengal  and  the  Carnatic ;  and  even  here 
their  power  was  informal  and  ill  organized. 

Native  powers  which  threatened  rivalry :  Hyder  Ali  in  Mysore : 
the  Mahrattas— the  most  dangerous  foe  whom  England  ever  had  to 
meet  on  India.  _  Wars  with  them. 

Wellesley — one  of  the  three  greatest  Englishmen  who  ever  ruled 
India — was  to  "turn  the  British  Empire  in  India  into  the  British 
Empire  of  India."  His  dealings  with  Mysore,  the  Nizam,  Oudh. 
His  policy  of  "subsidiary  alliances,"  reducing  native  princes  to 
powerless  dependence.  His  struggle  with  the  Mahrattas.  Owing 
to  the  timidity  of  the  Directors  of  the  Company  at  home,  he  was 
recalled  before  he  had  time  to  complete  his  work. 

His  work  completed  by  Lord  Hastings,  who  destroyed  the  power 


5 


of  the  Mahrattas,  and  by  Lord  Dalhousie,  who  conquered  Burmab 
and  the  Northwest.  Extent  and  nature  of  the  British  Empire  in 
India  in  1856,  a  century  after  its  creation  was  begun. 


LECTURE  IV. 

The  Prob'em  of  Governing  India. 

The  shameful  period  of  misrule,  17G0-5 :  how  it  illustrated  the 
dangers  of  government  by  a  commercial  company.     Clive's  reforms. 

The  awakening  of  the  English  conscience :  the  "nabobs"'  in  Eng- 
lish politics.  Gradual  realization  of  the  responsibility  of  the 
nation  for  the  amazing  Empire  which  had  been  so  rapidly  acquired. 
Schemes  for  the  improvement  of  government. 

Lord  North's  Act,  1773.  Warren  Hastings  as  Governor-General. 
His  difficulties  and  his  great  achievements  in  the  improvement  of 
the  system.  His  impeachment:  flagrantly  unjust,  it  was  never- 
theless a  proof  that  the  English  conscience  was  at  last  awake. 

Fox's  scheme.  Pitt's  Act,  1784 :  the  responsibility  for  govern- 
ment transferred  from  the  company  to  the  English  ministry.  This 
process  carried  further  in  1833.  Finally,  the  company  abolished. 
1858. 

A  still  more  difficult  problem  next  arose  during  the  nineteenth 
century ;  should  India  be  westernized?  Lord  William  Caven- 
dish Bentinck.  The  ideas  of  the  refoi-mers.  Lord  Dalhousie  and 
his  reforms. 

The  eve  of  the  mutiny.  The  seeds  of  discontent.  How  far  had 
British  rule  really  benefitted  India? 


LECTURE   V. 

The  Mutiny,  1857. 

The  mutiny  is  of  interest  not  only  as  an  episode  full  of  heroism 
and  romantic  incident,  but  as  casting  an  illumination  upon  the 
conditions  of  English  rule  in  India,  and  as  inaugurating  a  new- 
epoch. 


The  causes  of  the  mutiny ;  (a)  the  general  unrest  produced 
by  the  rapidity  with  which  western  methods  and  ideas  had  been 
introduced  into  India;  (&)  the  fear  (which  Dalhousie's  rule  had 
inspired  in  the  ruling  classes)  that  it  was  the  settled  policy  of 
England  to  destroy  all  native  powers ;  and  above  all  (c)  the  par- 
ticular grievances  of  the  Sepoy  soldiers. 

The  mutiny  was  not  a  national  movement,  otherwise  it  would 
have  been  inevitably  successful ;  nor  was  it  universal  even  among 
the  Sepoys.  It  was  practically  confined  to  the  upper  and  middle 
valley  of  the  Ganges;  scarcely  touching  Bengal  or  the  Dekhan, 
and  easily  suppressed  in  the  recently  conquered  province  of  the 
Punjab. 

It  had  two  main  centres,  (o)  Delhi  and  the  northwest  provinces, 
dealt  with  from  the  Punjab;  (&)  Oudh  (Cawnpore  and  Lucknow) 
dealt  with  from  Bengal. 

Summary  of  the  main  episodes  of  the  Mutiny. 

The  lessons  of  the  Mutiny. 


LECTURE  VI. 

Modem  India. 

1.  The  position  of  India  in  the  British  Empire :  anomaly  of  a 
vast  "bureaucratic  despotism"  in  association  with  a  group  of  self- 
governing  states. 

2.  The  foreign  relations  of  India.  The  fear  of  Russia.  How 
this  fear  has  dominated  Indian  policy  in  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury. 

3.  The  defense  of  India.     Its  military  system. 

4.  The  government  of  India :  a  very  difficult  problem  more  or 
less  satisfactorily  solved  after  a  century's  experiment.  Despotism 
directed  by  democracy.  The  civil  service :  a  "tribute"  paid  by 
England  to  her  great  dependency. 

,  5.  Tne  finance,   agriculture   and   industries  of   India.     Its   eco- 
nomic problems.     Famine  and  overpopulation. 

6.  Has  the  English  power  in  India  been  of  service  to  India?  Or 
to  England?     How  could  it  be  replaced? 


The  Class. — At  the  close  of  each  lecture  a  class  will  be  held  for 
questions  and  further  discussion.  All  are  urged  to  attend  it  and  to 
take  an  active  part.  The  subjects  discussed  will  ordinarily  be  those 
arising  from  the  lecture  of  the  same  evening.  In  centres  in  which  no 
Students'  Association  (see  below)  has  been  formed,  the  class  will 
afford  opportunity  for  the  lecturer  to  comment  on  the  papers  sub- 
mitted to  him. 

The  Weekly  Papers. — Every  student  has  the  privilege  of  writing 
and  sending  to  the  lecturer  each  week,  while  the  course  is  in  progress, 
a  paper  treating  any  theme  from  the  lists  given  at  the  end  of  each 
part  of  the  syllabus.  The  paper  should  have  at  the  head  of  the  first 
sheet  the  name  of  the  writer  and  the  name  of  the  centre.  Papers 
may  be  addressed  to  the  lecturer,  University  Extension,  111  South 
Fifteenth  street,  Philadelphia. 

The  Students'  Association. — Every  lecture  centre  will  be  greatly 
helped  in  its  work  by  the  formation  of  a  club  or  other  body  of  students 
and  readers  desirous  of  getting  the  stimulus  that  working  in  common 
affords.  This  Students'  Association  will  have  its  own  organization  and 
arrange  its  regular  programme,  if  possible,  both  before  and  after  as 
well  as  during  the  lecture  course.  The  lecturer  will  always  lend  his 
help  in  drawing  up  programmes,  and,  when  the  meeting  falls  on  the 
day  of  the  lecture,  will  endeavor  to  attend  and  take  part.  Much  of 
the  best  work  of  Extension  is  being  done  through  the  Students'  Asso- 
ciations. 

'  The  Examination. — Those  students  who  have  followed  the  course 
throughout  will  be  admitted  at  the  close  of  the  lectures  to  an  exami- 
nation under  the  direction  of  the  lecturer.  Each  person  who  passes 
the  examination  successfully  will  receive  from  the  American  Society 
for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching  a  certificate  in  testimony 
thereof. 


VALUABLE  GUIDES  TO  READING  AND  STUDY, 


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Address  University  Extension  Society.  Ill  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia, 


University  Extension   Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Colonial  Rivalries  of  the  Great 

Powers 


1 .  The  Opening  Out  of  the  World      4.  The  Era  of  Indifference. 


and  the  Dominance  of  Spain. 

2.  The  Era  of  Rivalry  in  Settle- 

ment. 

3.  The  Era   of   War  for  Colonial 

Supremacy. 


5.  The  Land-Hunger  of  the  Great 

Powers. 

6.  The  Great  Powers  in  Asia  and 

the  Pacific. 


By 

Ramsay  Muir,   M.  A. 

Staff-Lecturer  in  History  and    Literature   for  the   London,  the    Liverpool 

and  the  American  Societies 


No.  266 


Price,  10  aanti 


Copyrieht,  1905,  by 

The  Amtrican  Sociely  for  ExtcDsion  of  Univeriily  Teicking 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street.   Philadelphia,  Pa. 


BOOKS. 

E.  J.  Payne.     European  Colonies. 

Sib  J.  Seeley.     2'hc  Expansion  of  England. 

C.  P.  Lucas.     Historical  Geography  of  the  British  Empire. 

H.  E.  Egebton.     British  Colonial  Policy. 

Sib  W.  W.  Hunteb.     History  of  British  India,  Vol.  I. 

Col.  Malleson.     The  French  in  India. 

F.  Pabkman.     TJie  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  etc. 
Lavisse  et  Rambaud.     Histoire  g^nerale  (for  reference). 
A.  T.  Mahan.     Influence  of  Sea  Power  on  History. 

A.  T.  Mahan.    Influence  of  Sea  Power  on  the  French  Revolution. 

A.  Rambaud.     History  of  Russia. 

F.  H.  Skeine.     The  Expansion  of  Russia. 

Sib  H.   H.  Johnston.     The  Colonization  of  Africa   hy  European 

Peoples. 
R.  L.  Stevenson.     A  Footnote  to  History  (illustrating  on  a  minute 

field  the  character  of  modern  international  rivalries). 


LECTURE    I. 

The   Opening  Out  of   the   World  and  the  Dominance 

of  Spain. 

What  is  meant  by  a  "Colony"?  The  Phoenician  idea — a  trading 
post.  The  Greek  idea — an  independent  "hiving-off"  from  a  mother 
State.  The  Roman  idea — a  military  settlement  to  secure  a  con- 
quered dominion.  All  these  notions  enter  into  the  modern  sense 
of  the  word ;  though  sometimes  one  aspect  has  been  predominant, 
sometimes  another. 

In  some  ways  the  most  marked  feature  of  the  world's  history 
during  the  last  four  centuries  has  been  the  "overflowing  of 
Eiu'ope" :  the  expansion  of  "western"  civilization  and  ideas  to 
the  rest  of  the  world.  This  has  been  achieved  mainly  by  the 
process  vaguely  called  colonization ;  and  it  has  been  carried  out 
in  the  course  of  a  long  series  of  rivalries  between  the  chief 
European  nationalities.  The  story  of  these  rivalries  is  one  of  the 
most  important  aspects  of  modern  history;  yet  it  has  been  sin- 
gularly neglected  until  very  recently.  The  theme  of  this  course 
is  (a)  to  trace  in  outline  the  story  of  these  rivalries,  and  (b)  to 
show  what  has  been  the  character  of  each  nationality's  contribu- 
tion to  the  problems  of  colonization,  and  why  some  have  been 
more  successful  than  others. 

The  story  begins  with  the  great  explorations  of  the  Fifteenth 
and  Sixteenth  Centuries :  in  the  East,  Diaz,  Vasco  da  Gama,  etc. ; 
in  the  West,  Columbus,  Magellan,  etc.  Effect  of  this  "rolling  up 
of  the  curtain  which  concealed  the  greater  part  of  the  world" 
upon  the  mind  and  ambitions  of  Europe. 

At  first  a  practical  monopoly  in  the  hands  of  Portugal  in  the 
East  and  Spain  in  the  West:  small  part  taken  by  other  nations. 
The  Portuguese  and  Spanish  Empires:  their  character  and  their 
work.  The  union  of  the  two  on  the  conquest  of  Portugal  by 
Spain,  1580.  The  monopoly  broken  down  by  the  English  and  the 
Dutch.  The  defeat  of  the  Armada,  1588,  may  be  said  to  open  the 
gates  of  the  world  to  the  nations  of  Europe. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

Why  did  Portugal  and  Spain  take  the  lead  in  exploration? 
A   contrast   between   the   Spanish   and   Portuguese  methods   of 
colonization. 

The  English  pirates  of  the  Elizabethan  Age. 

(3) 


LECTURE    II. 

The  Era  of  Rivalry  in  Settlement. 

A  new  era  begins  with  the  Seventeenth  Century — all  the  Euro- 
pean powers  competing  in  a  race  for  the  new  lands ;  but  especially 
for  the  Eastern  trade. 

At  first  the  leadership  falls  to  the  Dutch  :  reasons  for  this. 
The  Dutch  in  the  Far  East ;  in  India ;  in  Ceylon.  Their  explora- 
tion of  Austi-alia.  Their  settlement  of  South  Africa.  The  Dutch 
in  South  America — in  the  West  Indies — in  North  America  (the 
New  Netherlands).  Elements  of  weakness  in  the  Dutch  power 
and  in  their  Colonial  methods. 

Their  most  dangerous  rivals  the  E>"glish.  Their  rivalry  in  the 
Far  East  (Amboyna  1623);  their  wars  (1652-4,  1665-7.  1672-4). 
Meanwhile  the  English  had  developed  wholly  new  types  of  colonies 
in  America.  How  Virginia,  1607,  and  New  England,  1620,  repre- 
sent new  and  sounder  colonial  metliods.  Causes  of  the  difference. 
The  gi'eat  secret,  self-government.  Ilapid  expansion  of  the  English 
colonies  in  America  during  the  Seventeenth  Century.  The  English 
in  the  West  Indies. 

Fbench  colonizing  activities.  Early  enterprises  in  Canada  and 
in  India.  Reasons  for  their  slowness  in  developing  these  begin-" 
nings.  The  great  expansion  under  Colbert,  1662-1683 :  India, 
Mauritius,  Madagascar,  Canada,  the  West  Indies.  Characteristics 
of  the  French  settlements,  especially  in  Canada.  Their  distinctive 
strength  and  weaknesses. 

Humbler   enterprises   of  other   i)owers.     Sweden  ;    Denmark. 

Regarded  broadly,  the  Seventeenth  Century  is  an  age  of  eager 
colonization  by  all  the  maritime  powers  of  the  West.  Their  com- 
petition inevitably  produces  wars ;  but  the  outstanding  feature 
of  the  age  is  not  so  much  war  as  settlement. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

The  motives  of  early  English  colonization. 
The  contrast  between  Virginia  and  New  England. 
Why  did  the  Dutch  do  so  little  as  colonizers  in  the  days  of  their 
gi-eatness? 

The  characteristics  of  the  French  colonies. 


LECTURE    III. 

The  Era  of  War  for  Colonial  Supremacy. 

In  the  Eighteenth  Century  (say  1688  to  1789)  colonial  ques- 
tions come  to  the  forefront  in  relations  between  nations.  Eager- 
ness to  control  the  new  markets.  Illustrations  of  this :  even  Aus- 
tria makes  a  bid,  but  is  shut  out  by  the  jealousy  of  the  Western 
powers ;  and  Spain,  imder  Alberoni,  makes  a  desperate  effort  to 
re-enter  the  race.  Settlement  is  no  longer  the  feature  of  the 
new  age  (the  English,  e.  g.,  made  only  one  new  colony  in  this 
period — Georgia)  ;  but  (a)  commercial  exploitation  (the  East  India 
Companies ;  Law's  Mississippi  scheme ;  the  South  Sea  bubble ;  the 
Assiento  treaty  and  the  slave  trade)  ;  and  (/j)  ivarfare  on  directly 
colonial  issues. 

The  main  warfare — that  between  England  on  the  one  hand  and 
France  (with  Spain)  on  the  other.  Holland,  content  in  the  con- 
trol of  the  Malay  Archipelago,  has  almost  dropped  out.  The 
great  duel  between  France  and  England:  triumph  of  England  In 
1763.  Demonstration  of  the  importance  of  sea-power  to  colonial 
empire. 

A  significant  renewal  of  strife  on  the  outbreak  of  the  American 
Revolution.  1.  Combination  of  all  the  powers  with  colonial  ambi- 
tions against  the  monopoly  of  England.  Not  only  France,  Spain 
and  Holland ;  even  Sweden,  Denmark  and  Russia  threaten  to  inter- 
vene. 2.  The  result  of  the  American  Revolution,  following  on  the 
destruction  of  the  French  colonial  empire,  brings  to  a  close  the 
period  of  eager  rivalry  by  diminishing  the  apparent  value  of  colo- 
nies. The  American  revolt  seemed  to  show,  in  the  words  of  the 
French  statesman  Turgot.  that  "colonies  are  like  fruits,  which 
cling  to  the  tree  only  until  they  are  ripe." 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

Is  it  true  that  "trade  follows  the  flag"? 

The  influence  of  trade  rivalry  upon  international  relations. 

The  slave-trade. 

Chatham  the  Imperialist. 


6 

LECTURE    IV. 

The  Era  of  Indifference. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  epoch  a  period  of  com- 
parative indifference  to  colonial  possessions  sets  in.  Reasons  for 
this : 

(a)  The  conviction  that  colonial  possessions  cannot  be  perma- 
nent. This  conviction  is  reinforced  by  the  revolt  of  the  Spanish 
South  American  Colonies. 

(&)  Europe  is  engaged  for  a  century  with  intestine  troubles, 
arising  from  (1)  constitutional  problems  in  every  European  coun- 
try and  (2)  struggles  by  numerous  nationalities  either  for  inde- 
pendence or  for  imity. 

(c)  The  naval  predominance  of  England,  rendeiing  colonial 
acquisition  difficult. 

This  period  of  indifference  may  be  said  roughly  to  last  until  the 
Franco-German  war  settled  Europe.  It  thus  extended  over  nearly 
a  century  (1789-1870).  Meanwhile,  almost  unregarded,  three  great 
pi'ocesses  of  expansion  going  on. 

I.  The  creation  of  a  neiv  British  Empire.  The  curious  feature 
of  this,  that  England  did  not  really  want  it.  Out  of  this  fact 
arise  the  main  features  of  the  new  British  Empire — its  want  of 
cohesion  and  system,  and  the  remarkable  independence  of  its  mem- 
bers. India — Australia — New  Zealand — South  Africa — the  expan- 
sion of  Canada.  These  linked  together  by  a  remarkable  series 
of  calling-stations  and  militai'y  posts,  acquired  during  the  French 
Revolutionary  wars,  or  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

II.  The  expansion  of  Russia  in  Siberia  and  Central  Asia.  The 
outstanding  features  of  the  Russian  Empire  in  contrast  with  the 
British — centralization  and  territorial  continuity. 

III.  The  expansion  of  the  United  States:  purchase  of  Louisiana, 
Mexican  War,  settlement  of  the  great  West.  This  the  most  impres- 
sive of  all  to  the  European  imagination :  the  outflow  of  their  people 
to  a  State  beyond  their  control :  the  demonstration  of  the  value  of 
the  world  outside  Europe. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

The  influence  of  European  politics  upon  colonial  development. 

The  history  of  Australia. 

What  is  the  definition  of  an  Empire? 

Is  it  worth  a  nation's  while  to  plant  colonies? 


LECTURE    V. 

The  New  Land-Hunger  of  the  Great  Powers. 

About  a  geoeration  ago  (the  beginning  of  vast  movements  can 
never  be  precisely  dated)  a  remarkable  new  phase  of  the  story 
began :  we  are  in  the  midst  of  it  now.  This  was  the  sudden 
recrudescence  in  a  new  form,  of  the  old  international  rivalries  for 
colonial  power.    Causes  of  this : 

I.  When  Europe  had  settled  down  after  a  century  of  revolution, 
there  began  an  era  of  widespread  industrial  development,  accom- 
panied by  a  rapid  increase  of  population.  This  led  to  a  desire 
for  new  territory,  (a)  to  accommodate  the  growing  population 
without  sacrificing  their  allegiance ;  and  ( & )  to  open  out  new 
fields  for  the  supply  of  raw  material  and  new  markets  for  the  sale 
of  finished  products. 

II.  America  was  seen  to  be  receiving  most  of  the  overflow  popu- 
lation, while  England  had  obtained,  during  the  era  of  indifference, 
control  over  all  the  best  remaining  territories.  Consequently  there 
was  a  rush  for  such  unoccupied  lands  as  still  remained. 

In  this  rush  the  chief  parts  were  taken  l)y  the  old  competitor, 
France,  and  by  the  newly  consolidated  nationalities  of  Germany 
and  (in  a  less  degree)  Italy:  particularly  Germany,  where  the 
motives  described  above  were  most  strongly  felt.  England,  long 
indifferent  to  her  own  empire,  suddenly  awakens  to  its  value,  and 
joins  in  the  race — with  every  advantage.  The  epoch  of  "Imperial- 
ism" begins.  Even  the  United  States,  for  all  its  vast  territory, 
enters  the  competition ;  induced  partly  by  commercial  motives. 

The  field  where  the  new  ambitions  first  displayed,  naturally 
the  one  almost  unoccupied  continent, — Africa.  Reasons  why  Africa, 
first  explored,  was  the  last  of  the  continents  to  be  occupied  by 
Europe. 

Summary  of  the  story  of  the  partition  of  Africa  among  the 
European  powers — England,  France,  Germany,   Italy,  Belgium. 

Signs  of  a  desire  to  deal  with  South  America  in  the  same  way. 
The  obstacle  to  this. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

The  native  races  of  Africa. 

Boer  and  Briton. 

The  development  of  the  tropics. 


8 

LECTURE    VI. 

The  Great  Powers  in   Asia  and  the  Pacific. 

These  latterly  the  most  important  fields  of  rivalry.  Reasons 
for  this. 

Germany,  France,  England  and  the  United  States  in  the  Pacific. 

The  Chinese  question.  The  rise  of  a  new  competitor  in  Japan, 
now  become  almost  an  occidental  power ;  having  taken  up  indus- 
trialism, Japan  finds  the  need  of  new  ground  for  population 
(Corea)  and  new  markets.  The  international  significance  of  the 
position  in  China  and  the  Russo-Japanese  War. 

Analysis  of  the  broad  features  of  the  world-politics  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  nineteenth  century.  "Empire''  states  replacing  nation- 
states.  An  era  of  world-wide  and  complicated  rivalry  beginning. 
Must  we  look  for  an  "Armageddon"? 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 


of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


The  Romantic  Revival  in  English 

Literature 


1.    Romantic   Revival:  Its   Rela-      3.  Wordsworth:  1770-1850, 

tion   to  the  Political  Move-      ^    Coleridge:  1772-1834. 
merit    Associated   with    the 

5.  Shelley:  1792-1822. 


French  R,evoli!tion. 
2.   Sir  Walter  Scott:  1771-1832 


6.  Keats:  1795-1821. 


By 

Ramsay  Muir,  M.  A. 

Staff-Lecturer  in    History  and  Literature  for    the  London,  the    Liverpool 
and  the  American  Societies  for  Extension  of  University  Teaching. 


No.  267 


Price,   10  cents 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  Extension  of  University  Teachioj, 

111   South   Fifteenth   Street,   Philadelphia,   P». 


BOOKS. 

Among  selectians   from   the  works  of  the  poets,    the  following 
may  be  recommended : 

Palgrave's  selections  from  Scott. 

Matthew   Arnold's   selections   from    Wordsworth. 

Dowden's  selections  from   Shelley. 

Among  critical  books : 

Scott,  by  R.  H.  Huttox;  Wordsicorth.  by  F.  W.  H.  Myers; 
Co1eri(Jge,  by  H.  D.  Traill;  Shelley,  by  J.  A.  Symonds  ;  and 
Keals.  by  S.  Colvtx  (all  in  the  "English  Men  of  Letters"  series). 

Herford's  Age  of  Wonlsivo7-th  is  a  useful  general  handbook. 


LECTURE    I. 

Romantic  Revival. 

Introductory. 

The  remarkable  literary  activity  of  the  early  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury. How  is  it  to  be  accounted  for?  Its  relation  to  the  political 
movement  associated  with  the  French  Revolution.  Why  do  the 
great  literary  suns  nearly  always  appear  together,  in  constella- 
tions, rather  than  as  single  stars? 

A  great  poetic  age,  marked  by  distinctive  features :  the  age  of 
Romance.  What  this  means ;  the  "Renaissance  of  Wonder" — a 
deep  surprise  and  admiration  excited  botli  by  ordinary  and  by 
uncommon  things.  The  two  marked  features  of  the  age  are  thus 
(a)  a  deep  interest  in  things  beyond  the  ordinary  limits  of  man's 
experience — the  marvelous  and  the  supernatural ;  ( ft )  a  new  sense 
of  the  significance  and  wonder  of  the  things  we  are  apt  to  take 
for  granted.  That  is  to  say,  visions  are  made  real,  and  "facts" 
are  illumined,  by  the  light  of  imagination. 

This  age  saw  also,  in  literature  as  well  as  in  politics,  a  great 
development  of  the  sense  of  individual  liberty :  the  right  of  every 
man  to  admire  what  he  likes  and  to  express  his  admiration  as 
he  chooses.  Revolt  against  convention :  the  belief  that  literature 
is  not  a  matter  of  laws  and  rules ;  but  that,  whatever  subject  or 
stj'le  a  man  may  choose  for  his  work,  it  will  be  justified  only  by 
its  success  in  compelling  the  assent  of  his  readers. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

Is  verse  necessary  to  poetry?     If  so,  why? 
What  do  you  mean  by  "Romance"? 

Why  is  the  period  dealt  with  in  these  lectures  considered  to  be 
one  of  the  greatest  in  English  literature? 


LECTURE    II. 

Sir  Walter  Scott:    1771-1832 

His  family,  upbringing,  and  early  history.     His  deep  and  wide 
knowledge  of,  and  sympathy  for,  the  history  and  legends  of  his 

(3) 


own  country.     The  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Borders.     Historical 
imagination. 

Scott's  love  of  and  treatment  of  Nature :  contrast  of  his  methods 
with  Wordsworth's. 

Scott's  power  of  romantic  story-telling.  What  this  means.  His 
poems.  Their  wide  popularity.  Causes  of  this.  Analysis  of  the 
Lady  of  the  Lake.  How  far  the  publication  of  these  poems  started 
a  new  era  in  English  letters.  They  are  not  in  the  first  rank  as 
pure  poetry,  but  nevertheless  they  show  qualities  which  were  new 
in  English  literature. 

These  qualities  still  more  strikingly  exhibited  in  the  Wavnly 
Novels.  The  wideness  of  their  range:  they  deal  with  many  coun- 
tries, many  historical  periods,  all  classes  from  the  king  to  the 
peasant.  They  delight  and  awaken  the  imagination  of  the  reader 
by  bringing  him  into  vivid  contact  with  many  lives  far  different 
from  his  own,  and  yet  stimulating  his  sympathy  for  them. 

The  influence  of  Scott  on  English  thought. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

"Scott  ruined  his  fame  by  carelessness."     Is  this  true? 
Is   it  true   to   say   that   Scott's   novels   were   greater   than   his 
poems?     If  so.  why? 

Scott's  treatment  of  Nature. 


LECTURE    III. 

Wordsworth:   1770-1850. 

His  early  life ;  and  the  influences  which  moulded  his  career. 
The  teaching  of  Nature.  Small  extent  to  which  he  was  influenced 
by  the  regular  teaching  of  school  and  university.  His  interest  in 
the  French  Revolution  and  visit  to  France:  his  disappointment 
and  change  of  attitude.     The  restlessness  of  his  early  manhood. 

He  definitely  renounces  all  worldly  ambitions,  and  settles  down 
to  spend  his  life  in  the  most  simple  and  austere  way.  so  as  "to 
save  his  soul  alive."  His  friendships:  his  sister  and  Coleridge. 
The  publication  of  Lyi'ical  Ballads.  Wordsworth's  conception  of 
the  business  of  the  poet.  His  theories  about  poetical  language: 
how  far  these  theories  were  true.  These  were  not  popular  con- 
ceptions, and  for  long  his  poems  had  little  influence  or  circula- 
tion ;  never  rivaling  Scott's  or  Byron's. 


His  love  of  Nature,  (a)  Power  of  giving  vividness  and  reality 
to  ordinary  natural  objects  and  to  "the  simple  annals  of  the 
poor."  His  love  of  rural  life,  as  best  befitting  the  simplicity  and 
dignity  of  Nature.     (6)  His  half-mystical  communion  with  Nature. 

His  conceptions  of  duty;  and  his  political  ideas.  Illustrations 
of  these  things  from  the  poems.     The  inequality  of  his  work. 

CLASS   AND   ESSAY   SUBJECTS. 

A  brief  account  of  Wordsworth's  friendship  with  Coleridge. 
Who  were  the  "Lake  poets" V     Is  the  name  a  good  one? 
^^■ordsworth■s  ideas  about  poetic  style. 


LECTURE    lY. 

Coleridge:   1772-1834. 

His  early  life:  "the  inspired  charity-boy."  Ilis  early  interest 
in  abstruse  philosophical  questions,  combined  with  a  vivid  imag- 
ination. The  escapades  of  his  youth.  His  friendship  with  Southey 
and  wild  schemes  of  reforming  the  world,  inspired  by  the  French 
Revolution.  The  reaction  from  the  ideas  of  the  Revolution.  His 
juvenile  poems  and  the  qualities  displayed  iu  them. 

His  meeting  with  Wordsworth.  The  short  period  of  his  greatest 
literary  activity.  1797-0:  the  Aucient  Mariner  and  Christabel. 
The  vividness  and  force  of  their  imaginative  vision :  the  directness 
and  vigor  of  their  style.  Failing  healtti :  takes  to  opium ;  produc- 
tive power  decays,  but  his  gi-eatness  as  a  critic  of  literature.  His 
view  of  Wordsworth.  His  philosophical  studies,  and  the  influence 
he  exercised  by  conversation. 

His  poetical  work :  fragmentary,  but  very  perfect  in  his  best 
period.     The  tragedy  of  Coleridge's  life. 

CLASS   AND   ESSAY   SUBJECTS. 

Why  is  the  "Ancient  ^lariner"  regarded  as  a  great  poem? 
Sketcli  the  character  of  Coleridge. 

What  do  you  know  about  the  political  opinions  of  Wordsworth 
and  Coleridge?     Did  they  have  much  effect  upon  their  ■RTitiiigs? 


LECTURE    V. 

Shelley:   1792-1822. 

Shelley's  birth  and  family :  born  in  a  circle  of  eminent  respecta- 
bility, he  revolts  from  conventionality  with  extreme  violence.  His 
passion  for  liberty  illustrated  from  his  early  life.  His  Oxford 
days :  his  early  and  foolish  marriage :  his  Irish  adventure :  his 
rapid  and  restless  movements  from  place  to  place.  The  influence 
of  Godwin  and  the  new  Radical  ideas.  Shelley's  whole-hearted, 
unpractical,  generous  acceptance  of  them.  His  marriage  with 
Mary  Godwin,  and  residence  in  Italy.     His  tragic  death. 

The  astonishing  volume  of  his  work,  considering  the  shortness 
of  his  life.  Frequently  ethereal  beauty,  almost  always  unearth- 
like  :  but  often  hazy  and  difficult  to  gi*asp.  His  marvelous  gift  of 
versification — betraying  him  often  into  looseness  of  writing.  His 
love  of  Nature :  the  contrast  between  his  attitude  and  Words- 
worth's. His  passionate  love  of  liberty  and  sincerity  the  keynote 
of  his  work.  Expression  of  this  in  his  political  satires — e.  g.,  the 
Mask  of  Anarchy.  Analysis  of  the  more  purely  poetical  quali- 
ties of  his  work  as  shown  in  selected  pieces. 

CLASS   AND   ESSAY    SUBJECTS. 

"The  poetry  of  revolt."  Is  that  a  fair  summary  of  Shelley's 
work  ? 

Shelley  in  Italy :  a  description  of  the  poet. 
What  did  Shelley  mean  by  "Liberty"? 


LECTURE    VI. 

Keats:  1795-182 1. 

The  medical  student  who  discovered  that  he  was  a  poet  Un- 
promising environment  for  a  poet,  yet  Keats  was  perhaps  the  most 
purely  poetical  of  all  the  poets  hei-e  dealt  with.  His  early  days 
and  early  friends :  his  poetical  education.    His  healthy-mindedness. 

His  early  poems :  sensuous  love  of  beauty  shown  in  them.  With 
all  their  crudities,  power  of  poetical  expression  displayed  in  them. 
Endymion. 


Accumulating  niisfortunes :  his  brother's  illness  and  death :  the 
burning  pangs  of  love :  bis  own  growing  illness :  tlie  persecutions 
of  the  Reviewers.  His  exile  to  Italy,  and  death  at  2G.  when  his 
powers  were  just  beginning  to  come  to  maturity. 

Anatysis  of  his  poetical  qualities  as  shown  iu  The  Eve  of  St. 
Agnes,  the  Ode  on  a  Grecian  Urn,  etc. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

What   is  meant  by   saying  that  Keats  was   "the  most   purely 
poetical"  of  all  these  poets? 
Compare  Keats  and  Shelley. 
Did  the  Reviewers  kill  Keats? 


VALUABLE  GUIDES  TO  READLMG  .\J^D  STUDY. 


The  American  Society  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching  has  published,  in 
connection  with  its  worl:,  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  syllabi,  nearly  all  of  which 
are  of  real  value,  independently  of  the  lectures,  for  guiding  home  reading  and 
study.  They  contain  suggestive  outlines  of  the  lectures,  lists  of  books,  and  other 
material  of  interest.    The  following  have  been  recently  issued  : 


The  Cities  of  Italy  and  Their  Gift  to  Civilization.    Edward  Howard 

Griggs,  MA 10  cents 

English  Writkius  of  the  Present  Era.    Frederick  H.  Sykes,  M.A.,  Ph.D.  .  15  cents 

The  Divine  Comedy  of  Dante.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 10  cents 

The  Expansion  of  England.    Cecil  F.  Lavell,  M.A 10  cents 

Wagner  :    The  Music  Drama.    Thomas  Whitney  Surette 15  cents 

Great  Novelists.    William  Bayard  Hale,  M.A 10  cents 

Sociology  in  English  Literature.    J.  W.  Martin,  B.Sc 10  cents 

Personal  and  Social  Development.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A.  .    .    .  lo  centa 

Types  op  Womanhood  SrifDiED  from  Autobiography.    Edward  Howard 

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Cmcs.    Frederic  W.  Speirs,  Ph.D 10  cents 

The  Amf.rican  Negro.    G.  R.  Glenn.  William  A.  lilair,  Walter  H.  Page, 

Kelly  Miller,  W.  E.  B.  DuBois,  n.  B.  Frissell 25  cenU 

Thf.  Awakening  of  Modern  Europe.    Cecil  F.  Lavell,  M.A 10  cents 

Burns  and  Scott.    Albert  H  Smyth,  B  A 10  cents 

Goethe's  Faust.    Edward  Howard  Griggs,  M.A 20  cents 

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Address  University  Extension  Society,  ill  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 


of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


The  Rise  of  the  British  Empire 


1.  The  Great  Explorers  and  the 

Struggle  with  Spain. 

2.  The  Struggle  with  the  Dutch 

in   East   and  West  —  New 
England. 

3.  The  Great  Duel  with  France. 

—Part   I:    To   the   English 
Triumph  in  1763. 


4.  The  Great  Duel  with  France. 

— Part  II:  The  American 
Revolution  and  the  French 
Revolution. 

5.  The  Indian  Empire :  Its  Growth 

and  its  Government. 

6.  The  Colonies  in  the  Nineteenth 

Century. 


By 

Ramsay  Muir,  M.  A. 

Staff-Lecturer   in  History  and    Literature  for  the   London,  the  Liverpool 
and  the  American  Societies  for  Extension  of  University  Teaching. 


No.  268 


Price,  10  cents 


Copyright.  1905.  by 

The  American  Society  for  Extension  of  University  Teaching 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,   Pa. 


BOOKS  RECOMMENDED. 

Lecture  I. 

Woodward.     Expansion  of  the  British  Empire. 

Seeley.     Expansion  of  England. 

Egebton^.     History  of  British  Colonial  Policy. 

Pay?se.     European  Colonics. 

Hunter.     History  of  British  India   (Vols.  I-III). 

CoRBETT.     Drake. 

Froude.    Elizahethan  Seamen  in  the  Sixteenth  Century. 


Lecture  II. 


David  Hannay.     Blake. 
Frith.     Life  of  Cromwell. 


Lecture  III. 

Malleson.     The  French  in  India. 
Malleson.     Dupleix. 

Macaulay.     Essays  on  Clive  and  Chatham. 
Parkman.     Montcalm  and  Wolfe. 

Lecture  IV. 
Trf'/elyan.     The  American  Revolution. 
Mahan.     Life  of  Nelson. 
G.  M.  Theal.     South  Africa. 
WooDROw  Wilson.     History  of  the  American  People. 

Lecture  V. 

>jACAtxAY'.     Essay  on  Warren  Hastings. 
Trotter.     Warren  Hastings — Rulers  of  India. 
riuTTON.     Wellesley — Rulers  of  India. 
Hunter.     Dalhousie — Rulers  of  India. 
Rice  Holmes.     History  of  the  Indian  Mutiny. 

Lecture  VI. 

Jenks.     History  of  the  Australasian  Colonies. 

G.  M.  Tiieal.     South  Africa  {Story  of  the  Nations). 

W.  P.  Reeves.     New  Zealand. 

DfiKE.     Problems  of  Greater  Britain. 

BouRiNOT.     Canada  (Story  of  the  Nations). 


LECTURE    I. 

The  Great  Explorers  and  the  Struggle  with  Spain. 

A  new  stage  in  the  history  of  Western  civilization  may  be  said 
to  be  opened  by  the  great  discoveries  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
They  initiate  a  period,  covering  the  whole  of  the  modern  age, 
during  which  the  great  nationalities  of  Europe  have  been  engaged 
in  continuous  rivalry  for  the  control  of  the  world  outside  of 
Europe.  This  rivalry,  so  far  as  it  affected  England,  will  form 
the  central  thread  of  the  present  course. 

The  overflowing  of  Europe,  and  the  opening  up  of  the  East  and 
of  the  West. 

1.  Portugal  and  West  Africa  and  the  Cape  route  to  India : 
Bartholomew  Diaz  and  Vasco  de  Gama :  the  Portuguese  Em- 
pire in  the  East — Albuquerque. 

2.  Spain  and  the  Western  route  to  India :  Columbus :  The 
Spanish  acquisitions  in  Central  and  South  America :  Cortes 
and  Pizarro. 

Character  of  the  Spanish  and  Portugue.se  empires.  The  Parti- 
tion Bull  of  1493  and  its  results.  The  union  of  the  Spanish  and 
Portuguese  crowns  (1580)  seems  to  give  a  monopoly  of  the  new 
discoveries  to  Spain.  Religious  fanaticism  of  the  monarchy  of 
Philip  II.     English  trade  with  Portugal  and  Levant  checked. 

Consequences : 

1.  The  attempt  to  find  a  "back  way"  to  the  wealth  of  the  East 
by  a  northwest  passage  or  by  a  northeast  passage. 

2.  Piracy  in  the  English  Channel  and  upon  the  Spanish  Main 
— Drake  and  Hawkins. 

3.  The  open  struggle  with   Spain :  the  Armada. 
Consequences  of  the  overthrow  of   Spanish  sea-power  and  the 

subsequent  rapid  decay  of  Spain. 

1.  In  the  West:  first  English  attempts  at  colonization:  Vir- 
■^           ginia :  objects  and  character  of  the  colony. 

2.  In  the  East :  foundation  and  first  voyages  of  the  East 
India  Company.  The  overthrow  of  Portuguese  power  in 
the  Indian  Ocean,  1612-22. 

(3) 


SUBJECTS  FOR  ESSAYS  OR  DISCUSSION. 

Causes  of  the  weakness  of  the  Spanish  Colonial  Empire. 

Trade  as  the  basis  of  Empire. 

India  when  the  European  nations  first  made  their  appearance. 


LECTURE    II. 

The  Struggle  with  the  Dutch  in  East  and  West — 

New  England. 

The  English  and  the  Dutch  had  shared  in  the  overthrow  of  the 
Spanish  monopoly ;  but  no  sooner  was  that  barrier  destroyed  than 
a  bitter  rivalry  broke  out  between  these  two  nations,  which  fills 
much  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  growth  of  Dutch  maritime  and  commercial  activity. 

The  Dutch  in  the   East:  they  expel  the  Engli.sh  from  the 
Spice  Islands.     The  massacre  of  Amboyna. 
The  Dutch  settlement  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
The  Dutch  discoveries  in  Australasia. 
The  Dutch  in  the  West:  New  Amsterdam. 
England  for  a  time  withdi-aws  from  the  struggle  owing  to  dis- 
sensions  at  home.     But   these  dissensions  themselves  produce   a 
great  colonizing  period. 

New  England:  the  Puritan  colonies:  their  characteristics. 
Maryland :  the  Catholic  colony. 
The  close  of  the  Civil  War  brings  a  new  period  of  direct  strug- 
gle with  the  Dutch. 

The  struggle  for  maritime  and  commercial  supremacy  with 
the   Dutch.     Blake's   naval   campaigns.     The   Navigation 
Laws. 
Cromwell   as  an  Imperialist  statesman.     His  anti-Spanish 
policy  :  seizure  of  Jamaica  :  its  importance. 
The   Dutch   struggle    continued   under   Charles   II :    Navigation 
Laws   re-enacted.     Their   meaning   and   importance.      Monk    and 
Rupert.     The  conquest  of  New  Amsterdam. 

The  keen  interest  in  colonization  shown  by  the  statesmen  of  the 
Restoration:    Carolina,    Pennsylvania,  the    Hudson    Bay    Company. 
The  Dutch  struggle  at  length  ended  not  by  outright  victory  for 
either  side,  but  by  union  against  a  common  enemy.  France.     Sub- 
sequent gradual  decay  of  Dutch  power. 


SUBJECTS  FOR  ESSAYS  OR  DISCUSSION. 

Contrast  the  Dutch  methods  of  colonization  with  the  Spanish. 
Cromwell  as  an  Imperialist  statesman. 


LECTURE    III. 

The  Great  Duel  with  France. 
Part  i  :  To  the  English  Triumph  in   1763. 

Seven  great  wars  with  France  between  16S9-1815.  Various  im- 
mediate causes,  but  always  at  the  bottom  commercial  and  colonial 
rivalry. 

Commercial  and  colonial  development  of  France  under  Colbert. 
French  foreign  possessions  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

1.  The  French  in  North  America.  Canada  and  Louisiana. 
Nature  of  the  settlements.  Exploration  in  the  interior. 
Claim  to  possess  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Danger  of  this  to 
English  colonies  in  America. 

2.  The  French  in  the  West  Indies. 

3.  The  French  and  English  companies  in  India. 
Consequent  world-wide  character  of  the  wars  of  the  eighteenth 

century. 
Causes  of  the  ultimate  success  of  England. 

1.  Decay  of  the  French  monarchy :  no  successor  to  Colbert. 

2.  France  diverted  by  European  questions :  in  Pitt's  phrase. 
America  is  conquered  in  Germany. 

A.  The  struggle  for  India. 

The  opportunity  for  political  aggression  afforded  by  the  dis- 
integration of  India.  The  great  Frenchman,  Dupleix,  was 
the  first  to  see  this,  and  may  be  said  to  have  shown  the 
English  how  to  conquer  India. 

The  struggle  for  the  Carnatic :  Clive  and  Arcot :  Lally. 

The  establishment  of  the  English  in  Bengal :  Plassey. 

B.  The  struggle  for  America. 

Chatham  the  great  Imperialist.    The  annus  mirahilis,  1759. 

1.  The  struggle  for  the  sea  and  the  West  Indies. 

2.  The  struggle  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  1753-17.56. 

3.  The    struggle   in   the    St.    Lawrence    Valley :    Louisburg, 
Lake  Champlain,  Quebec :  Montcalm  and  Wolfe. 

Predominance  of  England  at  the  Peace  of  Paris,  1763. 


SUBJECTS  FOR  ESSAYS  OR  DISCUSSION. 

Contrast  the  English  and  French  settlements  in  America. 
Dupleix  and  his  contributions  to  the  problem  of  European  rule 

in  India. 

Causes  of  the  English  victory  over  France  in  the  struggle  for 
commercial  supremacy. 


LECTURE  IV. 

The  Great  Duel  with  France. 

Part  ii:    The  American  Revolution  and  the  French 

Revolution. 

The  revolt  of  the  American  colonies  an  epoch  in  the  history  of 
the  British  Empire.     Its  causes: 

1.  The  old  colonial  policy :  commercial  restrictions. 

2.  The  removal  of  danger  from  France  renders  the  colonies 
less  loyal. 

3.  The  attempt  to  impose  upon  the  colonies  part  of  the  burden 
of  defending  them. 

First  phase  of  the  war,  1775-1778.  After  early  successes  the 
colonies  show  themselves  unequal  to  the  struggle. 

Second  phase,  1778-1782.  France  sees  an  opportunity  of  regain- 
ing her  lost  position.  General  European  jealousy  of  English  mari- 
time supremacy.  League  of  the  maritime  powers  against  her.  The 
naval  war :  decline  of  English  prestige.  France  fails  to  make  use 
of  her  opportunity ;  but  the  war  ensures  American  independence. 
Lessons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

Compensation  for  the  loss  of  America.  Estahli.shnient  of  the 
English  power  in  India  during  this  period.  Warren  Hastings, 
the  greatest  of  Anglo-Indian  statesmen,  governed  India  during 
the  whole  of  the  American  War  of  Independence.  The  first  set- 
tlement in  Australia,  1788. 

The  war  of  the  French  Revolution.  In  its  first  period  direct 
colonial  rivalry  does  not  emerge.     But — 

1.  The  English  power  increasing  in  the  West  Indies. 

2.  English  sea-power  re-established.    The  great  crisis  of  1797. 
Napoleon:  to  some  extent  his  hostility  to  England  a  result  of 

English  success  in  the  race  for  foreign  possessions  in  the  previous 
period. 


1.  The  expedition  to  Egypt— aimed  at  India. 

2.  Encouragement  of  native  princes  in  India. 

3.  The    campaign    of    Trafalgar — the  final  assertion   of    English 
sea-power. 

4.  The    continental    system:    an    attempt   to    destroy    English 
trade,  it  only  results  in  more  firmly  establishing  it. 

5.  Through  English  command  of  the  sea   French  and  Dutch 
colonies  fall  into  English  hands,  notably  South  Africa. 

Extent  and  development  of  the  British  Empire  at  the  end  of  the 
Great  War. 

SUBJECTS  FOR  ESSAYS  OR  DISCUSSION. 

Was  American  Independence  inevitable? 

The  lessons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

The  relation  between  Sea-power  and  Colonial  Empire. 


LECTURE    V. 

The  Indian  Empire:    its  Growth  and  its  Government. 

The  disadvantages  of  Government  by  a  commercial  company 
exhibited  1760-1765:  the  worst  period  of  English  government  in 
India. 

The  work  of  organization :  Warren  Hastings :  Parliament  begins 
to  interfere :   North's  scheme  and  its  failure :   Pitt's  scheme. 

The  expansion  of  the  Empire:  it  is  hampered  by  the  Directors' 
fear  of  war  and  desire  of  dividends,  but  it  is  inevitable. 

Expansion  under  Warren  Hastings :  advance  up  the  valley  of  the 
Ganges. 

Expansion  under  Wellesley,  "the  great  pro-consul."  "He  changed 
our  dominion  from  the  British  Empire  in  India  to  the  British 
Empire  of  India."     His  wars  and  his  policy. 

Hastings  and  the  revival  of  the  "forward"  policy.  Dalhousie 
and  the  establishment  of  the  British  in  the  northwest. 

The  Mutiny :  its  causes  and  consequences. 

Revision  of  the  governmental  system. 

SUBJECTS  FOR  ESSAYS  OR  DISCUSSION. 
To  what  extent  was  the  "forward  policy"  of  England  in  India 
linevi  table? 


The  policy  of  Dalhousie. 

The  causes  of  the  Indian  ^Mutiny. 

The  governmental  system  of  modern  India. 


LECTURE    VI. 

The  Colonies  in   the    Nineteenth  Century. 

The  causes  of  the  rise  of  self-government  in  the  Colonies.  How 
far  the  result  of  the  American  Revolution,  how  far  of  ideas  domi- 
nant in  England. 

1.  Canada.     The  difficulties  of  the  Canadian  question.     Mili- 

tary government,  17G0-1774.  The  Quebec  Act,  1774.  The 
Canada  Act  of  1791 :  first  step  towards  self-government. 
Canada  and  the  United  States,  1812.  The  Rebellion  of 
1837  and  Lord  Durham's  settlement.  The  British  North 
America  Act,  1867.  Sir  John  Macdonald  and  the  secur- 
ing of  the  Great  West. 

2.  Australia.     Its   freedom   from   the   difficulties   of   Canada 

and  South  Africa.  The  convicts  and  military  rule.  In- 
crease of  population  and  its  causes:  discovery  of  gold, 
1849.  The  division  of  Australia  into  six  colonies,  1823- 
1859.  The  growth  of  self-government,  1842 1855.  Aus- 
tralian Federation. 

3.  New   Zealand.     The   Maori   races.     Crown   colony   period, 

1839-1852.  Sir  George  Grey  and  his  achievements.  The 
Maori  wars,  18G0-1871. 

4.  South   Africa.     Its   character   and  races.     Complexity  of 

the  questions  involved.  The  first  phase :  from  the  British 
occupation  to  the  great  Trek,  1836,  and  the  annexation 
of  Natal.  1842.  The  second  phase:  from  the  annexation 
of  Natal  to  the  Sand  River  Convention  (1852)  and  Bloem- 
fontein  Convention  (1854).  The  third  phase:  discovery 
of  diamonds  (1857)  and  of  gold  (1884)  and  their  con- 
sequences. The  fourth  phase:  from  the  annexation  of 
the  Transvaal,  1877.  to  the  present  day. 

5.  The  Crown  Colonies  and  the  Military  Posts. 

SUBJECTS  FOR  ESSAYS  OR  DISCUSSION. 
Race  problems  in  the  great  British  Colonies. 
Colonial  Federation  and  its  relation  to  Imperial  Federation. 
The  Crown  Colonies  as  links  of  Empire. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 


of  a 


Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


English  Novelists  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Century 


1.  Jane  Austen. 

2.  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

3.  Charles  Dickens. 


4.  William  Makepeace  Thackeray. 

5.  The  Brontes  and  Others. 

6.  George    Meredith  and  Robert 

Louis  Stevenson. 


By 

Ramsay  Muir,   M.  A. 

Staff-Lecturer  in    History  and  Literature  for   the   London,  the   Liverpool 
and  the  American  Societies  for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching. 


No.  269 


Price,  10  cents 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  Extension  of  University  Teaching, 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia.  Pa. 


BOOKS. 

Lectube  I. 
W.  A.  Raleigh.    The  English  Novel  (later  chapters). 
R.  L.  Stevexson.     a  Gossip  on  Romance  and  A  Humble  Remon- 
strance (in  Memories  and  Portraits). 
GoLDwiN  Smith.    Life  of  Jane  Austen. 

Lecture  II. 

J.  G.  LocKHABT.     Life  of  Scott   (5  vols.). 

R.  H.  HuTTO^^.     Scott  (English  Men  of  Letters). 

Cablyle.    Essay  an  Scott. 

Lecture  III. 

FoBSTEE.    Life  of  Dickens. 
George  Gissing.    Dickens. 

Lecture  IV. 
Mrs.    Ritchie.    Introductions    to    the    Biographical    Edition    of 

Thackeray's  Works. 
Mebb'ale  and  Mabzial.    Life  of  Thackeray. 

Lectube  V. 
Mbs.  Gaskell.     Life  of  Charlotte  Bronte. 
Augustine  Birrell.     Charlotte  Bronte. 
A.  C.  SwiNBXjRNE.     Note  on  Charlotte  Bronte. 

Lecture  VI. 

Mebedith.    Essay  on  Comedy. 

W.  A.  Raleigh.     Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

R.  L.  SrEVE>'SON.     Letters. 


LECTURE    I. 

Introductory.     Jane  Austen. 

"Also  read  again,  and  for  the  third  time  at  least,  Miss  Austen's 
very  fiuely  written  novel  of  'Pride  and  Prejudice.'  That  young 
lady  had  a  talent  for  describing  the  involvements,  and  feelings,  and 
characters  of  ordinary  life,  which  is,  to  me,  the  most  wonderful  I 
have  ever  met  with.  The  Big  Bow-wow  strain  I  can  do  myself, 
like  any  now  going;  but  the  excjuisite  touch,  which  renders  ordi- 
nary commonplace  things  and  characters  interesting  from  the  truth 
of  the  description  and  the  sentiment,  is  denied  to  me." — Sir  Walter 
Scott,  Journal. 

"I  have  likewise  read  one  of  Miss  Austen's  works  .  .  .  with 
just  the  degree  of  admiration  which  Miss  Austen  herself  would 
have  considered  sensible  and  suitable.  .  .  . '  She  does  her  busi- 
ness of  delineating  the  surface  of  the  lives  of  genteel  English  peo- 
ple curiously  well.  There  is  a  Chinese  fidelity,  a  miniature  deli- 
cacy, in  the  painting.  She  ruffles  her  reader  by  nothing  vehement, 
disturbs  him  by  nothing  profound.  The  passions  are  perfectly 
unknown  to  her ;  she  rejects  even  a  speaking  acquaintance  with 
that  stormy  sisterhood.  .  .  .  Her  business  is  not  half  so  much 
with  the  human  heart  as  with  the  human  eyes,  mouth,  hands,  and 
feet."— Charlotte  Bronte. 

The  remarkable  predominance  of  the  novel  in  English  literature 
during  the  nineteenth  century.  As  a  literary  phenomenon  it  is 
worthy  of  study.  It  is  also  valuable  to  the  student  of  history, 
because  its  variety  and  adaptability  make  it  an  admirable  reflector 
of  many  aspects  of  ordinary  conditions  and  ideas.  Reflection  in 
particular  of  the  profound  changes  in  the  life  and  thought  of 
England  which  the  century  witnessed. 

The  novelists  of  the  early  nineteenth  century,  mainly  ladies : 
Miss  Burney  (1752-1840)  ;  iliss  Edgeworth  (1767-1S49)  ;  Miss  Aus- 
ten. 

Jaxe    Austex. 
1775-1817. 

The  painter  of  the  quiet  country  life  of  the  upper-middle  classes 
of  the  older  England.  She  sees  nothing,  or  at  least  describes  noth- 
ing, of  the  new  England  coming  into  being:  she  has  no  relation 
with  the  great  literary  movement  of  her  age,  the  Romantic 
Revival. 

(3) 


Sketch  of  her  life:  its  placid  course  and  narrow  limits. 

Consequent  narrow  scope  of  her  work:  "Tea-table  fiction." 
Within  these  limits,  flawless  perfection,  such  as  can  be  predicated 
of  no  other  English  novelist. 

Her  construction — characterization — humor  and  satire — subtlety 
and  restraint.  Entire  absence  of  exaggeration,  even  in  the  parody 
of  Mrs.  Radclifl:"e,  Northangcr  AJjhey. 

Charlotte  Bronte's  criticism  of  her  work.     Is  it  just? 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

The  Romance  and  the  Novel :  a  contrast. 

A  review  of  any  one  of  Jane  Austen's  novels. 

Jane  Austen's  bores. 


LECTURE    II. 

Sir  Waiter  Scott:   1 771 -1832. 

"Under  this  head  there  is  little  to  be  sought  or  found  in  the 
Waverley  Novels.  Not  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  edi- 
fication," for  building  up  or  elevating,  in  any  shape!  The  sick 
heart  will  find  no  healing  here,  the  darkly-sti'uggling  heart  no 
guidance:  the  heroic  that  is  in  all  men  no  divine  awakening  voice. 
.  .  .  Buff  l)elts  and  all  manner  of  jerkins  and  costumes  are 
ti'ansitory ;  man  alone  is  perennial.  .  .  .  Tried  under  this  cate- 
gory, Scott,  with  his  cleMr  practical  insight,  joyous  temper,  and 
other  sound  faculties,  is  not  to  ])e  counted  little — among  the  ordi- 
nary circulating  library  heroes  he  might  well  pass  for  a  demi-god. 
Not  little ;  yet  neither  is  he  great ;  .  .  .  among  the  great  of 
all  ages  one  sees  no  likelihood  of  a  place  for  him." — Thomas 
Carlyle. 

"Walter  Scott  is  out  and  away  the  king  of  the  romantics. 
.  .  .  [He]  had  not  only  splendid  romantic,  but  splendid  tragic 
gifts.  How  comes  it.  then,  that  he  could  so  often  fob  us  off  with 
languid,  inarticulate  twaddle?  It  seems  to  me  that  the  explana- 
tion is  to  be  found  in  the  very  quality  of  his  surprising  merits. 
As  his  books  are  play  to  the  reader,  so  were  they  play  to  him. 
He  conjured  up  the  romantic  with  delight,  but  he  had  hardly 
patience  to  describe  it.  He  was  a  great  day-dreamer,  a  seer  of 
fit  and  beautiful  and  humorous  visions,  but  hardly  a  great  artist. 
.  .  .  He  pleased  himself,  and  so  he  pleases  us.  Of  the  pleasures 
of  his  art  he  tasted  fully ;  but  of  its  toils  and  vigils  and  distresses 
never  man  knew  less.  A  great  romantic — an  idle  chlid." — R.  L. 
Stevenson. 


"The  romantic  revival"  of  the  early  nineteenth  century.  "Renais- 
sance of  wonder."  Renewed  interest  in  the  medifeval  period. 
Feeling  for  Nature.  Attempt  no  longer  merely  to  reproduce  what 
is  familiar,  but  "to  direct  the  mind  to  the  loveliness  and  wonder 
of  the  world  before  us."     (Coleridge.) 

In  this  respect  Sir  Walter  Scott  a  child  of  the  new  age.  In  others 
his  eyes  turned  backwards.  He  represents  the  Conservatism  of 
the  early  part  of  the  century:  the  idealist  of  the  old  regime. 
His  dislike  of  the  new  political  movement. 

This  the  natural  consequence  of  his  race-  and  personal  history. 
His  family — profession — early  life.  His  wanderings  in  Lowlands 
and  Highlands:  intimate  knowledge  of  all  classes  of  Scottish 
society,  and  of  the  wealth  of  Scottish  legend.  His  vast  and  curious 
learning.     The  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border. 

His  poems  simply  romances  in  verse ;  little  effect  on  poetic 
development,  but  of  great  importance  in  the  history  of  prose 
fiction.  Superiority  of  prose  as  a  vehicle  for  his  themes,  its 
immensely  greater  variety  and  range. 

In  Waverlei/  (published  1812)  and  its  successors,  the  fusion  of 
the  novel  and  the  romance.  The  romance  becomes  real  without 
ceasing  to  be  romance.  The  extraordinary  popular  interest  in 
the  novels. 

The  distinction  between  the  Scotch  novels  and  the  more  purely 
historical  novels.     Superiority  of  the  former. 

The  strength  of  Scott.  Wideness  of  range  and  sympathy.  He 
is  equally  at  home  with  the  king  and  the  peasant— Louis  XI 
and  Jeanie  Deans.  Reticence  combined  with  truthfulness  in 
dealing  with  the  stronger  emotions.  Humor.  The  power  of 
enthralling  narrative.  Events  framed  in  their  proper  circum- 
stances :  treatment  of  scenery,  etc. 

His  weakness.  Loose  and  faulty  construction.  The  style, 
though  often  strong  and  nervous,  too  frequently  careless  and 
shambling.     The  rapidity  of  Scott's  production :  was  it  too  rapid? 

Other  criticisms :  too  much  scenery ;  too  much  history ;  super- 
ficiality of  character ;  no  treatment  of  the  Problems  of  Life.  How 
far  are  these  criticisms  just  and  to  the  point? 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

Scott's  Monarchs. 

A  review  of  any  one  of  Scott's  novels. 

Scott's  use  of  the  Supernatural. 


LECTURE    III. 

Charles  Dickens:  1812-1870. 

"The  master  of  all  the  English  humorists  now  alive;  the  young 
man  who  came  and  took  his  place  calmly  at  the  head  of  the  whole 
tribe,  and  who  has  kept  it.  Think  of  all  we  owe  to  Mr.  Dickens. 
.  .  .  the  store  of  happy  hours  that  he  has  made  us  pass,  the 
kindly  and  pleasant  companions  whom  he  has  introduced  to  us ; 
the  harmless  laughter,  the  generous  wit,  the  frank,  manly,  human 
love  which  he  has  taught  us  to  feel !  .  .  .  Since  the  days  when 
the  Spectator  was  produced  by  a  man  of  kindred  mind  and  tem- 
per, what  books  have  appeared  that  have  taken  so  affectionate  a 
hold  of  the  English  public  as  these?  .  .  .  There  is  not  a  reader 
in  England  but  that  little  creature  (Tiny  Tim)  will  be  a  bond  of 
union  between  the  author  and  him,  and  he  will  say  of  Charles 
Dickens,  as  the  woman  just  now,  'God  bless  him!'  What  a  feel- 
ing is  this  for  an  author  to  be  able  to  inspire,  and  what  a  reward 
to  reap." — W.  M.  Thackeray. 

"There  never  was  such  another  as  Charles  Dickens,  nor  shall  we 
see  his  like  sooner  than  the  like  of  Shakespeare.  And  he  owed  all 
to  native  genius  and  hard  work  ;  he  owed  almost  nothing  to  liter- 
ature, and  that  little  we  regret.  .  .  .  But  the  native,  naked 
genius  of  Dickens — his  heart,  his  mirth,  his  observation,  his 
delightful  high  spirits,  his  intrejud  loathing  of  wrong,  his  chival- 
rous desire  to  right  it — these  things  will  make  him  forever,  we 
hope  and  believe,  the  darling  of  the  English  people." — Andrew 
Lang. 

Dickens  belongs  to  the  period  when  the  new  England  was  in 
the  making ;  a  period  full  of  sordidness  and  ugliness.  He  described 
It  from  below,  and  gave  a  picture  which  would  be  unendurable 
were  it  not  lightened  with  gay  humor  and  wide  human  sympathy 
and  almost  falsified  by  a  buoyant  optimism.  What  he  omits  in 
his  picture. 

His  peculiar  characteristics — both  merits  and  defects — largely 
due  to  his  training.  Parentage  and  early  life.  The  debtor's 
prison  and  the  blacking-shop — their  indelible  impression  on  his 
mind.  Lack  of  education :  he  never  became  a  bookish  man,  and 
to  his  death  read  little:  effect  of  this  on  his  works.  The  theatre 
his  only  school ;  and  the  British  theatre  was  at  its  worst  during 
his  life.  Profound  effect  of  the  theatre  on  his  books.  Whatever 
he  does  not  know  from  intimate  personal  observation  is  described 
after  the  only  model  he  knew — the  theatrical. 

His  limitations.  (1)  He  knows  only  a  few  strata  of  English 
societ>\  His  treatment  of  the  upper  classes  invariably  unsym- 
pathetic.    (2)  Theatrical  figures  perpetually  obtrude  themselves. 


His  pathos  is  generally  the  pathos  of  the  footlights.  (3)  Exag- 
geration even  in  figures  that  are  truly  drawn.  The  use  of  catch 
phrases  or  gestures  by  which,  as  in  the  cheapest  kind  of  melo- 
drama, the  characters  can  be  recognized.  No  restraint.  (4)  Con- 
iStruction :  increasingly  artificial.  The  use  of  coincidence.  Bleak 
House  is  perhaps  the  worst  offender  in  this  respect. 

Tet,  with  all  his  imperfection  and  crudeness,  he  remains  among 
the  greatest  of  novelists.  The  vividness  and  originality  of  his 
imagination.  The  astonishing  richness  and  fertility  of  his  inven- 
tion. The  accuracy  of  his  observation.  His  humor — its  kindli- 
ness. Dickens  as  satirist.  Dickens  as  Radical,  tilting  at  the 
abuses  of  his  age :  the  Circumlocution  Office,  and  the  Prison 
System. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

A  review  of  David  Copperfield  or  Martin  Chuszletcit. 

Dickens,  the  Radical. 

In  what  sense  was  Dickens  an  Idealist? 


LECTURE  IV. 
W.   M.  Thackeray:   1811-1863. 

"His  persistent  state,  especially  for  the  later  half  of  his  life, 
was  profoundly  morne ;  there  is  no  other  word  for  it.  This  arose 
in  part  from  temperament,  from  a  quick  sense  of  the  littleness 
and  wretchedness  of  mankind.  .  .  .  This  feeling,  acting  on  a 
harsh  and  savage  nature,  ended  in  the  sacva  indignatio  of  Swift; 
acting  on  the  kindly  and  sensitive  nature  of  Mr.  Thackeray,  it 
led  only  to  compassionate  sadness." — Dr.  John  Bro^Ti. 

"But  what  bitter  satire,  what  relentless  dissection  of  diseased 
subjects !  .  .  .  Thackeray  likes  to  dissect  an  ulcer  or  an 
aneurism ;  he  has  pleasure  in  putting  his  cruel  knife  or  probe  into 
quivering,  living  flesh.  Thackeray  would  not  like  all  the  world 
to  be  good ;  no  great  satirist  would  like  society  to  be  perfect 
.  .  .  He  is  imjust  to  women,  quite  unjust.  .  .  .  Many  other 
things  I  noticed  that  grieved  and  exasperated  me  as  I  read :  but 
then,  again,  came  passages  so  true,  so  deeply  thought,  so  tenderly 
felt,  one  could  not  help  forgiving  and  admiring." — Charlotte  Bronte. 

"O  gentle  censor  of  our  age  I 

Prime  master  of  our  ampler  tongue ! 
Whose  word  of  wit  and  generous  page 

Were  never  wrath,  except  with  wrong, — 
Fielding — without  the  manner's  dross, 

Scott — with  a  spirit's  larger  room." — Lord  Houghton. 


8 

An  exact  contemporary  of  Dickens,  Thackeray  portrays  another 
side  of  the  same  great  changes  in  the  temper  of  English  society. 
As  Dickens  showed  the  ugliness  and  cruelty  of  the  life  of  the 
great  cities,  Thackeray  represented  the  efEects  of  the  same  change 
on  the  upper  strata:  materialism  and  snobbery,  the  two  giants 
against  which  he  is  perpetually  tilting,  are  particularly  rampant 
in  this  period. 

His  origin  and  environment.  He  is  "a  scholar  and  a  gentle- 
man" ;  his  education  is  visible  in  all  his  work.  His  debts  to  his 
predecessors  of  the  eighteenth  century.  His  early  life:  Bohemia 
and  Society :  he  squanders  his  fortime.  and  must  make  a  liveli- 
hood  with  pen  and  pencil.     His  early  work. 

His  great  novels :  development  of  his  work. 

Construction:  loose  but  efficient.  The  scale  of  his  novels.  The 
influence  of  monthly  publication  both  on  Dickens  and  Thackeray. 

Style:  its  liveliness  and  unaffected  simplicity. 

Thackeray's  humor:   of  a  higher,  or,  at  any  rate,  a  different 
kind  from  that  of  Dickens:  it  played  upon  all  that  he  treated- 
equally,  upon  himself  also.     His  melancholy. 

Character.  Thackeray's  women.  The  criticism  that  his  good 
people  are  invariably  silly  or  unattractive. 

His  province  deliberately  limited,  though  it  is  wide  enough. 
But  his  excursions  into  other  fields  more  successful  than  those 
of  Dickens. 

Thackeray  as  a  satirist.  Like  Dickens,  he  was  a  reformer,  but 
he  rarely  touches  upon  political  themes :  partly  because  his  trained 
artistic  sense  told  him  that  such  preaching  was  artistically  an 
error.  His  satire  aimed  rather  at  selfishness,  worldliuess,  and  snob- 
bery, than  at  the  faults  of  the  political  system. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 
A  review  of  any  one  of  Thackeray's  novels. 
Is  Thackeray  a  Cynic? 
Thackeray's  Women. 


LECTURE  V. 

The  Brontes  and  Others. 

Charlotte  Bronte.  "Which  of  her  readers  has  not  become  her 
friend?  Who  that  has  known  her  books  has  not  admired  the 
artist's  noble  English,  the  burning  love  of  truth,  the  bravery,  the 
simplicity,  the  indignation  at  wrong,  the  eager  sympathy,  the  pious 


9 

love  and  reverence,  the  passionate  honor,  so  to  speak,  of  the 
woman?  .  .  .  How  well  I  remember  the  delight  and  wonder 
and  pleasure  with  which  I  read  'Jane  Eyre,'  sent  to  me  by  an 
author  whose  name  and  sex  were  then  alike  unknown  to  me ;  the 
strange  fascinations  of  the  work ;  .  .  .  that  master-work  of  a 
gi-eat  genius  !" — W.  M.  Thackeray. 

"In  knowledge,  in  culture  .  .  .  Charlotte  Bronte  was  no 
more  comparable  to  George  Eliot  than  George  Eliot  is  comparable 
to  Charlotte  Bronte  in  purity  and  passion,  in  depth  and  ardor  of 
feeling,  in  spiritual  force  and  fervor  and  forthright  inspiration. 
.  .  .  George  Eliot  a  type  of  intelligence  vivified  and  coloured 
by  a  vein  of  genius,  .  .  .  Charlotte  Bronte  a  type  of  genius 
directed  and  moulded  by  the  touch  of  intelligence." — A.  C.  Swin- 
burne. 

[Emily  BBONxii.] 

"—She 
(How  shall  I  sing  her?)  whose  soul 
Knew  no  fellow  for  might, 
Passion,  vehemence,  grief. 
Daring,  since  Byron  died, 
That  world-famed  son  of  fire — she,  who  sank 
Baffled,  unknown,  self-consumed ; 
Whose   too-bold   dying   song 
Stirr'd,  like  a  clarion-blast,  my  soul."' — Matthew  Arnold. 

The  Bronte  sisters  (Charlotte,  1816-55;  Emily,  1S18-48 ;  Anne, 
1819-49).  The  tragedy  of  their  history  and  environment.  Their 
small  opportunities  for  the  study  of  humanity.  But  the  Brontes 
knew  the  people  of  the  Yorkshire  moors  at  a  critical  time — the 
moment  of  transition :  mills  invading  the  lonely  valleys. 

The  great  quality  of  Charlotte's  and  Emily's  work — passion 
and  strength — in  Emily's  case  verging  on  incoherence.  Vividness 
and  insistence  of  the  impression  they  produce.  Morbidness  and 
gloominess  of  their  view :  occasional  melodrama ;  but  they  can 
mount  to  the  tragic.  Qualities  of  style.  Lack  of  the  sense  of 
humor ;  their  emotions  too  sti'ong  for  humor. 

Other  novelists  of  the  period  deserving  notice : 

Charles  Kiugsley  (1819-1875)  the  preacher  expressing  him- 
self through  the  novel.  Of  interest  to  the  historian  as  marking 
the  realization  of  the  evils  produced  by  the  revolution,  and  of 
attention  to  social  questions.    The  social  problem  as  a  novel  motif. 

George  Eliot  (18'20-1S80)  :  the  novel  becomes  self-conscious. 
The  scholastic  philosopher  as  novelist. 

Mrs.  Gaskell  (1811-1865).  The  direct  description  of  the  life 
of  the  great  manufacturing  towns  of  the  North.  Her  qualities 
as  a  novelist. 


10 


CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 


The  genius  of  Emily  Bronte. 

A  review  of  Jane  Eyre  or  Villette. 

Charlotte  Bronte  and  George  Eliot:   a  contrast. 


LECTURE  yi. 
George  Meredith:  R.   L.  Stevenson. 

"Talking  of  Meredith,  I  have  just  re-read,  for  the  third  and 
fourth  time,  'The  Egoist.'  When  I  shall  have  read  it  the  sixth 
and  seventh,  I  begin  to  see  I  shall  know  about  it.  You  will  be 
astonished  when  you  come  to  re-read  it:  I  had  no  idea  of  the 
matter — human  red  matter — he  has  contrived  to  plug  and  pack 
into  that  sti-ange  and  admirable  book.  Willoughby  is,  of  course, 
a  pure  discovery ;  a  complete  set  of  nerves,  not  heretofore 
examined,  and  yet  running  all  over  the  human  body.  Clara  is 
the  best  girl  ever  I  saw  anywhere.  ...  I  see  more  and  more 
that  Meredith  is  built  for  immortalitv." — R.  L.  Stevenson  to  W. 
E.  Henley. 

"I  remember  the  late  Sir  John  Millais,  a  shrewd  and  very  inde- 
pendent judge  of  books,  calling  across  to  me  at  a  dinner-table, 
'You  know  Stevenson,  don't  you?'  and  then  going  on,  'Well,  I  wish 
you  would  tell  him  from  me,  if  he  cares  to  know,  that  to  my  mind 
he  is  the  very  first  of  living  artists.  I  don't  mean  writers  merely, 
but  paintex's  and  all  of  us ;  nobody  living  can  see  with  such  an  eye 
as  that  fellow,  and  nobody  is  such  a  master  of  his  tools." — Sidney 
Colvin. 

Meredith  and  Stevenson  form  the  two  greatest  influences  upon 
prose  literature  of  the  present  day  ;  and  hence  form  an  appropriate 
conclusion  to  the  study  of  the  prose  fiction  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. In  influence  they  are  almost  contemporaries,  though  Mere- 
dith is  by  much  the  elder.  Meredith — the  least  widely  read  of 
the  great  novelists  of  the  century — may  be  called  the  novelist's 
novelist,  as  Spenser  is  the  poet's  poet.  Stevenson  described  his 
public  as  consisting  of  "journalists,  fellow-novelists,  and  boys." 

Meredith  (1828 — ).  Apparent  limitation  of  his  scope — the  coun- 
try house  and  £10,000  a  year.  A  restriction  of  this  kind  not  neces- 
sarily a  limitation.  Extraordinary  range  of  Meredith's  powers : 
the  keen  and  subtle  analysis  of  motive  and  character  ;  wit ;  humor  ; 
comedy  ;  satire ;  pure  romance  :  tragedy.  His  faults  :  a  weakness 
in  construction ;  over-subtlety ;  the  difficulty  of  his  style — c-auses 
of  this.  To  what  extent  is  it  the  necessary  defect  of  his  qualities, 
to  what  extent  inevitable? 


11 

Stevenson  (1852-94).  The  charm  of  his  personality  an  even 
greater  force  than  his  books.  His  work  as  a  novelist.  He  lacks 
the  richness  and  fertility  of  the  giants:  an  extraordinary  variety 
of  gifts,  never  combined  till  his  last  fragment.  His  work  till 
then  all  has  the  air  of  being  experimental,  is  lacking  in  spon- 
taneity and  inevitableness.  Nevertheless,  perfection  of  form 
secures  it  life.     The  influence  of  his  style  upon  his  contemporaries. 

CLASS  AND  ESSAY  SUBJECTS. 

The  influence  of  Meredith  and  Stevenson  upon  this  generation. 

A  review  of  The  Egoist,  Richard  Feverel,  Rhoda  Fleming,  or 
Evan  Harrington. 

A  review  of  Weir  of  Eerniiston,  Prince  Otto,  or  Kidnapped 
and  Catriona. 


The  Class. — At  the  close  of  each  lecture  a  class  will  be  held  for 
questions  and  further  discussion.  All  are  urged  to  attend  it  and  to 
take  an  active  part.  The  subjects  discussed  vnH  ordinarily  be  those 
arising  from  the  lecture  of  the  same  evening.  In  centres  in  which  no 
Students'  Association  (see  below)  has  been  formed,  the  class  will 
afford  opportunity  for  the  lecturer  to  coninient  on  the  papers  sub- 
mitted to  him. 

The  Weekly  Papers. — Everj'  student  has  the  pri\Tlege  of  wTiting 
and  sending  to  the  lecturer  each  week,  while  the  course  is  in  progress, 
a  paper  treating  any  theme  from  the  lists  given  at  the  end  of  each 
part  of  the  syllabus.  The  paper  should  have  at  the  head  of  the  first 
sheet  the  name  of  the  ^Titer  and  the  name  of  the  centre.  Papers 
may  be  addressed  to  the  lecturer.  University  Extension,  111  South 
Fifteenth  street,  Philadelphia. 

The  Students' Association. — Every  lecture  centre  will  be  greatly 
helped  in  its  work  by  the  formation  of  a  club  or  other  body  of  students 
and  readers  desirous  of  getting  the  stimulus  that  working  in  common 
affords.  This  Students'  Association  will  have  its  own  organization  and 
arrange  its  regular  programme,  if  possible,  both  before  and  after  as 
well  as  during  the  lecture  course.  The  lecturer  will  always  lend  his 
help  in  drawing  up  programmes,  and,  when  the  meeting  falls  on  the 
day  of  the  lecture,  wiU  endeavor  to  attend  and  take  part.  Much  of 
the  best  work  of  Extension  is  being  done  through  the  Students'  Asso- 
ciations. 

'  The  Examination, — Those  students  who  have  followed  the  course 
throughout  will  be  admitted  at  the  close  of  the  lectures  to  an  exami- 
nation under  the  direction  of  the  lecturer.     Each  person  who  passes 

the  examination  successfullv  will  receive  from  the  American  Society 

f 
for  the  Extension  of  University  Teaching  a  certificate  in  testimony 

thereof. 


University  Extension  Lectures 


Syllabus 

of  a 

Course  of  Six  Lectures 


on 


Popular  Romances  of  the  Middle 

Ages 

1.  The  Story  of  Siogfrid  and  the      4.  The  Story  of  Tristan   in  Mod- 

Nibelungen.  em      Versions:      Tennyson, 

2.  Wagner's    Nibelungen  Trilogy  Arnold,  Swinburne,  Wagner. 

and  its  Meaning  as  Litera-       ct^t  j    e  4.u    xx  ^     n  ^■^ 

*  5.  The  Legend  of  the  Holy  Grail, 

ture. 

3.  The  Romance  of  Tristan  and       6.  Tennyson's    Holy   Grail,    and 

Isolde.  Wagner's  Parsifal. 


By 

J.  Duncan  Spaeth,  Ph.  D. 


No.  270  Price,  10  cents 

Copyright,  1905,  by 

The  American  Society  for  Extension  of  University  Teaching 

111  South  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pt. 


LECTURE  I. 

The  Story  of  Siegfrid  and  the  Nibelungen. 

I.  Origin  of  the  Legend:  Mythical  and  historical  elements.  (1)  The 
Siegfrid  myth.  Its  home  among  the  Franks  of  the  lower  Ehine,  fifth 
century  A.  D.  Outline:  The  hero  grows  up  in  the  forest  without  know- 
ing his  parents,  in  care  of  a  dwarf,  who  is  a  smith.  He  delivers  a  maiden 
imprisoned  on  a  mountain,  in  a  tower,  or  a  castle,  surrounded  by  flames, 
a  great  water,  or  a  hedge  of  thorns,  obstacles  that  can  be  overcome  only 
by  the  predestined  hero.  He  has  a  fine  horse,  and  a  wonderful  sword, 
with  which  he  slays  the  dragon  or  giant  who  guards  the  sleeping  beauty. 
Together  with  her  he  wins  a  great  treasure  and  supernatural  powers. 
Then  he  comes  into  the  power  of  evil  spirits — the  false  brothers  of  the 
fairy  tale,  who  get  back  the  maiden  and  treasure  by  murdering  the 
hero.  The  original  owners  of  the  treasure  and  the  false  brothers,  i.  e., 
the  evil  powers  that  enthral  the  maiden,  are  called  Niblungs,  i.  e., 
children  of  the  mist.  A  nature-m5rth.  Siegfrid  a  Light-Hero,  at 
sunrise  conquering  the  clouds  and  waking  the  sun  asleep  on  the  misty 
mountain-top,  sunounded  by  the  red  glow  of  dawn.  (The  sun  is 
feminine  gender  in  the  Germanic  languages.)  (2)  Historical  memories. 
Blending  of  m)rthical  and  historical  traditions  into  Hero-Legend. 
Historical  events  with  which  the  Siegfrid-Nibelxmgen  myth  became 
associated.  The  great  battles  of  the  Huns  in  western  Europe  during 
fifth  century.  Attila.  Destruction  of  the  Burgundians  in  a  bloody 
battle  A.  D.  437.  The  Burgundian  king,  Gunther,  slain.  Difficult 
to  explain  why  or  how  the  Siegfrid  story  imited  with  that  of  the  Bm- 
gundians.  Main  feature  of  union.  The  Burgundians  with  their  capital 
at  Worms,  on  the  Rhine  near  the  old  home  of  the  Siegfrid  myth, 
become  the  Niblungs  or  evil  brothers  who  slay  the  hero  Siegfrid,  and 
their  destruction  by  the  Huns  is  felt  to  be  the  punishment  for  their 
treachery. 

II.  The  chief  Literarj^  Versions  of  the  Legend.  (1)  Scandinavian 
Versions.  The  Siegfrid  Storj^  carried  from  its  original  home  on  the 
Rhine,  into  the  Scandinavian  countries,  where  the  historical  portion 
dealing  with  destruction  of  Burgundians  became  confused  and  dis- 
torted and  where  the  mythical  elements  in  the  character  of  the  hero 
were  emphasized,  and  connected  with  Norse  mj'thology.  (Odin,  Loki, 
Fricka,  the  Walhalla  Myth.)  Outline  of  Norse  version  as  contained  in 
the  songs  of  the  older  or  poetic  Edda,  the  prose  Edda,  and  the  Vol- 
sunga  saga. 

(3) 


(2)  The  German  Nibelungen  Lied.  A  great  historical  epic.  Only 
faint  and  confused  outlines  of  the  myth  left.  Siegfrid's  death.  Ivriem- 
hild's  revenge.  The  interest  in  the  German  poem  shifted  from  Brun- 
hild (the  Walkuere  of  the  Norse  versions  whom  Siegfrid  has  wooed 
on  the  top  of  the  fire-mountain)  to  Kriemhild,  the  true  love  of  Siegfrid, 
who  terribly  avenges  his  death  at  the  hands  of  her  brothers,  by  marry- 
ing Attila  and  bringing  about  the  destruction  of  the  whole  Burgundian 
tribe  at  the  court  of  the  Huns. 


LECTURE  II. 
Wagner's  Nibelungen  Trilogy. 

I.  Wagner's  poems  literature,  not  "librettos."  They  are  poems 
of  human  action  and  suffering,  whose  impassioned  expression  is  music. 
Wagner's  power  of  reshaping  popular  legends  and  myths,  so  as  to  bring 
out  by  his  dramatic  and  musical  sjinbolism  their  permanent  values  and 
meanings.  The  Siegfrid  Storj'.  His  Prose  sketch  of  the  Nibelungen 
Myth.  The  growth  of  the  subject  in  his  mind.  Siegfrid's  Death,  the 
first  drama  of  the  C5'ole,  worked  backwanl  to  Rhinogold.  Sources  of 
Wagner's  Ring  of  the  Nibelungen.  Chose  the  Scandinavian  form  of  the 
Legend.  The  Norse  Mythology  mth  its  forrale-ssness,  its  vagueness 
and  vastness,  its  seriousness  and  depth,  appealed  to  Wagner's  Genius. 
Greek  mythology  made  for  painting  and  sculpture.  Norse  mj-thology 
for  music.  TJie  Rhine-Gold.  The  prelude  to  the  trilogy.  (1)  The 
Theft  of  the  gold  and  the  Curse.  Significance  of  the  ring.  The  form 
Wagner  gives  to  the  curse.  Only  he  who  renoimces  Love  may  possess 
the  ring  of  Power.     (2)  The  Price  of  WaUialla. 

II.  The  Walkuere.  (1)  Love.  The  parents  of  Siegfrid.  Wagner's 
use  of  the  Volsunga  Saga.  The  sword.  Its  significance  in  Germanic 
Hero-legend.  (2)  Battle.  Fricka  the  guardian  of  social  conventions. 
Wotan  forbids  the  Walkuere  to  aid  Sigmund  the  Volsung,  in  his  battle 
with  Hunding.  Sigmund's  death.  The  shattered  sword.  Brun- 
hilde's  disobedience.  (3)  Retribution.  Brunhilde's  sleep  on  the  fire- 
mountain. 

III.  Siegfrid.  (1)  Siegfrid's  education.  Siegfrid  and  Mime.  Ge- 
nius vs.  Craft.  The  welding  of  the  sword.  Influence  of  German  folk- 
tales of  Siegfrid  the  Dragon-slayer,  and  Siegfrid  of  the  homy  skin. 
(2)  The  slaying  of  the  dragon.  The  Dragon  in  Germanic  mythology. 
Beowulf's  dragon  fight.  The  treasure  motif.  Siegfrid  wins  the  ring 
and  is  involved  in  the  curse.  (3)  The  waking  of  the  Walkuere.  Sieg- 
frid's meeting  with  Wotan.     The  splintered  spear.     The  breaking  of 


Wotau's  spell.     Siegfrid's  kiss  wakens  Brunhilde.     Walkuere  no  more 
but  woman. 

IV.  Siegfrid's  Death  (Goetteidaemmerung).  The  introduction  of 
the  Norse  conception  of  the  "Ragnaroek,"  the  Dusk  of  the  gods,  an 
after- thought.  An  unfortunate  concession  made  by  the  poet  and 
dramatist,  to  the  mythologic  philosopher.  See  his  first  draught, 
Siegfrid's  Death.  Farewell  to  Brunhilde.  Meeting  at  Night  and  Part- 
ing at  Morning. 

"  Round  the  cape  of  a  sudden  came  the  sea. 
And  the  sun  looked  over  the  mountain's  rim 
And  straight  was  a  path  of  gold  for  him." 

The  curse  on  the  gold  begins  to  work.  The  hero  falls  into  the  power 
of  the  Niblungs.  Under  the  spell  of  Hagen's  magic  potion,  he  forgets 
Brunhilde,  and  weds  Gunther's  sister  (The  Gutrune  of  the  Drama  is 
the  Kriemhild  of  the  Nibelungen  lay).  The  false  wooing  of  Brunhilde, 
by  Siegfrid,  for  Gunther.  (2)  Siegfrid's  Death.  The  fatal  ring. 
Brunhilde's  vengeance.  Hagen.  His  connection  with  the  Nibelungs. 
The  scene  of  the  hunt  from  the  Nibelungen  Lied.  The  recollection 
scene,  Wagner's  own  modification  of  the  idea  of  the  gradual  weakening 
of  the  spell  in  the  Norse  story,  and  one  of  the  finest  touches  in  the  play, 
helped  by  the  potent  magic  of  music.  (3)  The  Funeral  Pyre.  As  in 
the  Volsunga  Saga,  Brunhilde  is  burnt  together  with  Siegfrid.  All  the 
subsequent  portion  of  the  Legend  is  omitted  by  Wagner  as  unsuited 
to  his  dramatic  purpose.  The  ethical  ideas  of  Wagner's  Trilogy. 
The  character  of  Siegfrid.     Comparison  with  the  Prometheus. 

READING  GUIDE. 

I.  The  Legend  in  Scandinavian  Literature. 

1 .  The  Volsunga  Saga*,  translated  from  the  Icelandic  by  Magnusson 
and  Morris.  Edited  by  Halliday  Sparling  for  the  Camelot  Series 
(Walter  Scott,  London,  1888).  Contains  also  the  songs  from  the 
Older  Edda  bearing  on  the  Siegfrid  Myth,  and  a  full  bibliography  of 
Icelandic  Literature.  The  Eddas,  by  Winfred  Faraday,  Vol.  12,  of 
Popular  Studies  in  Mythology,  Romance,  and  Folk-Lore  (D.  Nutt, 
London,  1902). 

2.  The  Younger  Edda  also  called  Snorre's  Edda  or  the  Prose  Edda. 
English  Version  by  R.  B.  Anderson  (S.  C.  Griggs  and  Co.,  Chicago, 
1880). 

3.  For  a  general  account  of  Norse  Mythology  see  Asgard  and  the 
Gods  adapted  from  the  German  of  Dr.  R.  Waegner  by  M.  W.  Mac- 
dowall  and  edited  by  W.  S.  W.  Anson  (Swan,  Sonnenschein  &  Co., 
London,  1887).  Though  intended  primarily  for  "boys  and  girls,"  it 
is,  like  all  of  Dr.  Waegner's  books,  an  excellent  introduction  to  its  sub- 
ject matter  for  older  readers  as  well.  Norse  Mythology,  R.  B.  Anderson. 
For  Icelandic  Sagas  see  the  Saga  Library,  especially  the  Heims-Kringla 
(The  Story  of  the  Kings  of  Norway,  called  the  Round  World).     Mag- 


6 

nusson  and  Morris,  Vols.  III-V  of  the  Saga  Library  (Bernard  Quaritch, 
London,  1893). 

II.  The  Legend  in  German  Literature. 

The  Classic  version  of  the  Legend  is  the  Middle  High  German  Nibe- 
lungen  Lied,  of  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century.  English  translation  by 
Lettsom.  George  Henrj^  Needier,  TJie  Ntbelungenlied* ,  translated  into 
rhymed  English  \erse,  in  the  metre  of  the  original  (Henry  Holt  and 
Co.,  1904). 

*  Teutonic  Legends  in  Xibelungen  Lied  and  Nibelungen  Ring,  W.  C. 
Sawyer,  Ph.  D.  (J.  B.  Lippincott,  1904). 

III.  Modern  Versions. 

1.  Sigurd  the  Volsung.  The  Story  of  Sigurd  the  Volsung  and  the 
Fall  of  the  Niblungs,  by  William  Morris.  (Roberts  Brothers,  Boston, 
1891).  Morris'  poem  is  filled  with  enthusiasm  for  its  subject,  but 
suffers  from  too  great  expansiveness.  It  is  based  on  the  Volsunga 
Saga. 

2.  Wagner's  Der  Ring  des  Nibelungen* ;  see  also  Wagner's  Essay  on 
the  Nibelungen  Myth*  as  a  sketch  for  a  drama,  1848,  in  his  Prose  Works 
translated  by  W.  Ashton  Ellis  (8  vols.  Scribners,  and  Siegfrid's  Tod 
(first  form  "of  the  Goetter-Daemm.erung).  Legends  of  the  Wagner 
Drama*,  Studies  in  Mythology  and  Romance  by  Jessie  L.  Weston 
(Scribners,  1896).  The  Ring  is  discussed  in  Chapters  II-VI,  (100  pages.) 
Houston  Stewart  Chamberlain's  Life  of  Wagner  has  been  published  in 
an  English  Edition  de  Luxe  by  J.  B.  Lippincott,  Philadelphia. 

For  outlines  of  the  dramas  and  reading  references  on  the  musical 
side,  see  Mr.  T.  W.  Surette's  Syllabus  on  Wagner,  The  Music  Drama, 
University  Extension  Lectures.     Series  J,  No.  5. 


LECTURE  III. 
The  Romance  of  Tristan  and  Isolde. 

I.  Tristan  and  Isolde  the  great  Love-Story  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Tris- 
tan the  most  popular  of  all  the  heroes  of  medieval  romance.  Many 
versions  of  his  story  in  many  lands.  The  Tristan  legend  entered  the 
literature  of  northern  Europe  at  a  time  when  Romantic  Love  super- 
seded the  themes  of  the  older  Hero-sagas  as  a  literary  motif.  Rise  of 
chivalry  does  not  imply  greater  respect  for  woman  but  greater  prominence 
for  her,  and  greater  variety  of  romantic  adventure.  Comparative 
study  of  the  many  versions  of  the  legend  has  given  rise  to  a  formidable 
Tristan  literature.  The  tragic  tale  of  guilty  love,  become  the  tilting 
ground  of  critical  scholars,  who  are  as  prolific  of  theories  as  the  old 
romancers  were  of  adventures. 

II.  Literary  Development  of  the  Tristan  Story.  Earliest  literary 
forms  French.  Part  played  by  France  in  twelfth  and  thirteenth  cen- 
turies as  collecting  and  distributing  reservoir  of  romance.     French  form 


of  the  great  medieval  cycles  of  romance.  Chansons  de  Gestes  and 
Germanic  Hero-legend.  Their  characteristics:  historic  back-ground, 
war,  virtues  of  the  old  heroes,  loyalty,  bravery,  generosity,  etc.  The 
"Romances  of  Adventure."  Celtic  influence:  sprightliness,  light- 
heartedness,  prolixity  of  adventures.  Effect  of  Norman  Conquest 
in  setting  Celtic  stories  free.  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth.  Tristan  story 
shows  Celtic  and  Geniianic  elements.  Begins  as  Hero-tale,  ends  as 
romance  of  adventure.  Existing  versions  of  the  story  divisible  into 
two  groups:  (1)  The  minstrel  group,  represented  by  a  lost  poem  of 
Chrestien  de  Troyes  (See  Lecture  V),  and  by  the  prose  romances  which 
Sir  Thomas  Malory  used  for  the  Morte  d'Arthur.  In  this  version,  the 
originally  apparently  the  more  primitive,  the  main  incidents  have  become 
confused  by  contact  with  the  Arthurian  Legend.  Tristan  a  knight  of 
the  round  table;  Mark,  his  uncle,  Isolde's  husband,  portrayed  as  low 
and  ignoble.  The  love  potion  of  transient  effect.  The  incident  of  the 
swallow  and  the  golden  hair.  (2)  The  Courtly  group.  Based  on  a 
poem  of  Thomas  of  Brittany  (about  1170),  probably  an  Englishman. 
Here  the  tale  independent  of  the  Arthurian  cycle.  King  Mark  a  noble 
character.  The  love  potion  permanent  in  its  effect.  Based  on  Thomas, 
Gotfrid  von  Strasburg's  Tristan  und  Isolde,  the  classic  version  of  the 
legend,  made  in  Germany  beginning  of  thirteenth  centurj'.  To  this 
group  belongs  also  the  English  Sir  Tristrem,  edited  by  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

III.  Gotfrid's  Poem.  Outline  of  the  story.  Characteristic  feature 
Tristan's  early  history.  The  poem  vmfinished.  Various  conclusions 
of  the  story. 

IV.  Origin  and  home  of  the  Legend.  Intricacy  of  the  problem. 
Hints  in  names  of  persons  and  places.  Tristan,  a  Celtic  Hero.  (Per- 
haps originally  Pictish.)  Isolde  and  Morold  the  giant,  Germanic. 
The  legend  early  localized  in  Cornwall.  Historical  reminiscences  of 
fights  between  Scandinavian  settlers  in  Ireland,  and  the  Britons  of 
Cornwall.  The  legend  certainly  developed  by  the  Celts.  Tristan  a 
national  hero.  In  its  later  development  the  love-story  the  most  pop- 
ular part  of  the  legend. 


LECTURE  IV. 

Tristan  and  Isolde  in  Modern  Literature. 

I.  Tennyson  and  Arnold. — Tennyson's  Last  Tournameyit  an  inade- 
quate treatment  of  the  legend.  Represents  it  merely  as  a  love  intrigue. 
Only  by  raising  the  guilty  lovers  above  the  level  of  ordinary  occurrence, 


8 

and  picturing  them  as  under  the  doom  of  an  exceptional  fate  and  em- 
phasizing the  tragedj'  of  the  situation,  can  such  a  tale  be  Ufted  into  the 
reakn  of  pure  Ai-t.  Matthew  Arnold's  Tristram  and  Iseult,  no  inter- 
pretation of  the  central  motive  of  the  stoiy  as  a  Love-tragedy.  The 
elegiac  note  appeals  to  Arnold.  Tristan's  languor  and  world-weariness 
well  portrayed. 

II.  Swinburne  and  Wagner.  Tristram  of  Lyonesse.  Lack  of  nar- 
rative power.  But  its  lyric  pulse  beats  with  the  passion  and  the  pathos 
of  the  tale.  Wagner's  Tristan  and  Isolde.  Wag-ner  strips  off  the  epic 
matter  entu-ely.  Tristan  "the  hero"  only  a  memor>\  (Note  the  fine 
musical  motif  of  "Tristan  Der  Held"  with  its  trumpet  call  to  action.) 
Wagner  makes  it  into  a  subjective  lyric  Love-drama,  the  greatest  of  its 
kind.  Swinburne  and  Wagner,  though  widely  di\'ergent  in  plot,  both 
treat  central  motive  in  same  way:  Love  an  All-absorbing  passion;  an 
iiTcsistible,  almost  demoniacal  force,  a  tremendous  whirlpool  of 
emotion  that  sucks  into  its  vortex  every  other  faculty  of  heart,  mind 
and  body,  and  makes  its  victims  forget  honor,  duty,  faith,  and  reputa- 
tion.    Contrast  this  with  Bro^^•ning's  portrayal  of  Love. 

"There  is  no  good  of  life  but  love — but  love. 
What  else  looks  good  is  some  shade  flung  from  love, 
Love  gilds  it,  gives  it  worth." 

Here,  too,  love  is  felt  to  be  an  elemental  power,  but  reinforcing  not 
ruining  what  is. best  in  man.  In  Wagner  and  Swinburne  the  soft  seduc- 
tive note  of  the  siren,  luring  the  lovers  to  death  and  darknessand  destruc- 
tion, and  the  black  waters  of  Lethe.  In  Bro'miing  the  thrilling  trumpet 
blast  that  nerves  the  hero-lover's  heart  to  win  through  to  life  and  light 
and  love  eternal. 

READING  GUIDE. 

I.  Llediseval  Versions. 

1.  Malory's  Morte  d'  Arthur*,  Books  VIII,  IX,  X,  XII,  Chapters 
11-13  Tlie  Standard  Critical  Edition  of  The  Uorte  d'Arthur  is  that 
by  Dr.  H.  Oskar  Sommer  in  3  Vols.  (D.  Nutt,  1891).  Vol.  Ill  deals 
with  Malory's  sources.  "No  less  than  274  pages  of  Caxton's  volume-;- 
or  almost  one-third — are  deA'oted  to  the  life  and  adventures  of  Sir 
Tristram."  Pp.  279-290  of  Vol.  Ill,  discuss  the  sources  of  Malory  s 
Tristan  Stor}^  It  is  a  late  form  of  the  Minstrel  "\^ersion  of  the  Legend, 
confused  in  its  incidents  by  association  vcith.  the  Arthurian  cycle,  of 
which  the  Tristan  Legend  was  originallv  independent.  Handy  editions 
of  the  Morte  d'Arthur.  The  Globe  (I  Vol.).  The  Camelot*,  edited  by 
Ernest  Rhys  (Walter  Scott,  London).  Vol.  I  contains  the  first  nine 
books  of  Malory.  Vol.  II  (No.  78  of  the  Scott  Library,  fonnerly  the 
Camelot  Series,'  entitled  The  Book  of  Marvellous  AdTe7itures)  contains 
the  balance  of  the  Morte  d'Arthur.  Also  in  the  Temple  Classics  (4 
vols.).     See  also  King  Arthur  and  his  Knights  by  Jessie  Weston,  and 


9 

Celtic  and  Medieval  Romance  by  Alfred  Nutt,  in  Popular  Studies  in 
Mythology,  Romance  and  Folk-Lore  Series  (David  Nutt). 

2.  Sir  Tristrem.  Middle  English  Poem  first  edited  by  Sir  Walter 
Scott  in  1804.  The  Middle  English  Poem  completed  by  Sir  Walter 
Scott;  see  his  Collected  Poems.  Valuable  Notes  on  Planners  and 
Customs. 

3.  Tristan  and  IscuU*,  Jessie  L.  Weston.  English  Prose  translation 
of  the  classical  form  of  the  Courtly  Version  as  found  in  Gotfrid's  thir- 
teenth century  poem.  Important  for  the  early  or  heroic  part  of  the 
Tristan  Legend.  Published  as  No.  2  of  Arthurian  Romances  Unrepre- 
sented in  Malory's  Morte  d' Arthur,  by  D.  Nutt,  London,  1002. 

II.  Modem  Versions. 

1.  The  Romance  of  Tristan  and  Iseult*,  Retold  by  J.  B^dier,  trans- 
lated into  English  by  Hillaire  Belloc  (Thomas  B.  Mcsher,  Portland, 
Maine,  1904). 

2.  Idyls  of  the  Kiiig :   The  Last  Tournament,  Alfred  Tennyson. 

3.  Tristram  and  Iseult,  JIatthew  Arnold. 

4.  Tristram  of  Lyo7iesse*.     SAvinburne. 

5.  Tristan  und  Isoldx*.  Wagner's  Music-Drama.  See  also  Legends 
of  the  Wagner  Drama,  by  Jessie  Weston,  pp.  271  -328. 


LECTURE  V. 
The  Legend  of  the  Holy  Grail. 

I.  Popularity  of  the  Legend  during  Middle  Ages  due  to  its  blending 
of  chivalry,  and  religious  mysticism,  romantic  adA'entures.  and  raptures 
of  spiritual  vision,  the  magic  of  faerie  and  the  mysteries  of  the  Christian 
faith.  Flowering-time  of  the  legend,  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries. 
The  great  body  of  French  and  Anglo-French  romances  to  which  it  gave 
birth.  Early  union  with  the  Arthurian  cycle.  The  Grail.  Meaning 
and  different  forms  of  the  word.  Magic  qualities.  Reminiscences  of 
Celtic  Folk-lore.  The  Christian  legend  of  the  Cup  used  at  the  Last 
Supper.  Robert  de  Borron's  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  and  the  Grand  St. 
Graal.  The  search  for  the  Grail.  The  hero  of  old  Celtic  tales,  in  whose 
adventures  a  magic  lance  and  a  magic  dish  figure  as  talismans,  and  who 
is  a  simpleton,  is  transformed  into  the  simple,  pure  knight,  who  achieves 
the  Quest  of  the  Grail. 

II.  Versions  of  the  Legend  in  which  Perceval  is  Hero  of  the  Quest. 
Chretien's  Conte  del  Graal,  and  its  continuations  the  Jungle-book  of 
romance.  Wolfram's  Parzival.  Main  features  of  the  Perceval  story. 
The  hero  brought  up  in  the  forest  by  his  widowed  mother,  in  ignorance 
of  arms.  Meets  vnth  knights.  Leaves  his  mother,  who  dies  of  grief. 
Visits  Arthur's  court.  Figures  as  ignoramus.  Meets  wise  man  Gone- 
mans   (Gurnemanz).     Fights  with  king  of  deadly  castle.     Comes  to 


10 

castle  of  wounded  Fisher-King.  Sees  bleeding  lance  and  shining  grail 
carried  in  procession.  Fails  to  ask  question  concerning  grail,  and  has 
to  leave  castle.  Subsequent  adventures.  Return  to  Grail  Castle, 
healing  of  wounded  king. 

III.  Later  versions  of  the  Legend  in  which  Perceval  is  subordinated 
to  Galahad  as  the  Hero  of  the  Quest.  The  Qtieste  of  the  Saint  Graal,  a 
French  prose  romance  probably  -wTitten  in  England  by  Walter  Map, 
in  1175.  This  the  form  of  the  legend  best  kno^ai  in  England.  The 
source  of  Sir  Thomas  Malory's  fifteenth  century  version,  in  his  Morte 
d'Arthur.  Tennyson's  Holy  Grail.  Features  of  the  old  legend  in 
Tennyson's  Poem.  Emphasis  upon  the  ascetic  ideal.  The  maiden 
knight.  Preponderance  of  the  mystical  and  saintly  over  the  heroic 
in  Galahad  as  compared  with  Perceval.  "Of  the  two  main  paths 
which  the  legend  has  trodden,  that  of  Galahad  is  the  least  fruitful  and 
the  least  beautiful.  Compared  to  the  Perceval  Quest  in  its  highest 
literary  embodiment,  the  Galahad  Quest  is  false  and  antiquated  on  the 
ethical  side,  lifeless  on  the  aesthetic  side. "  (Nutt,  Studies  in  the  Legend 
of  the  Holy  Grail.)  Tennyson's  o-wii  criticism  of  the  Galahad  quest. 
Allegorical  treatment.  Loss  of  important  features  of  the  old  legend 
in  the  version  followed  by  Tennyson:  the  bleeding  lance,  the  wounded 
king,  healed  by  the  foolish-wise  hero  of  the  grail.  R.  S.  Hawker's 
Quest  of  the  Sangraal.  Its  fine  poetic  quality.  Greater  vigor  than 
Tennyson's  poem.     Martial  spirit,  and  genuine  medieval  tone. 


LECTURE  VI. 
The  Legend  of  the  Holy  Grail. 

I.  The  Legend  in  Germany.  Main  features  of  the  Grail  Legend  as 
shaped  by  Wolfram.  His  Parzival  is  the  classic  version  of  that  portion 
of  the  legend  that  deals  with  the  quest  of  the  grail.  Out  of  the  jumble 
of  disconnected  incidents  and  episodes  of  older  romances,  he  builds 
an  epic  of  heroic  character  development.  Deepens  significance  of 
adventures  of  the  grail-seeker.  Ethical  interest.  Parzival's  progress 
from  Doubt  to  Faith.  The  Grail  Castle  and  the  order  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Grail.  (Influence  of  Knights  Templar.)  Titurel,  Grail-king. 
His  wounded  grandson  Anfortas.  The  magic  lance.  The  form  which 
Wolfram  gives  to  the  question  Parzival  must  ask.  Absence  of  early 
history  of  the  Grail  in  Wolfram.  The  Joseph  of  Arimathea  legend,  with 
the  localization  of  the  Cup  of  the  Last  Supper  in  England,  not  found 
in  the  German  version  of  the  Grail  story.  W^olfram's  conception  of  the 
Grail  as  a  stone  of  celestial  origin.     Its  properties. 


11 

II.  Wagner's  Parsifal.  The  Drama  as  a  form  of  the  Grail  Legend, 
(a)  Modifications  of  the  legend  imposed  by  the  necessities  of  the  dra- 
matic form.  Condensation  and  simplification.  Wagner's  dramatic 
genius.  Long  history  of  the  hero's  adventures  (which  already  in  Wolf- 
ram's Poem  had  become  adventures  in  spiritual  growth),  condensed 
into  a  single  scene.  Wagner  seizes  upon  three  main  incidents  in  the 
career  of  the  Grail  Hero,  and  builds  his  drama  upon  them :  (1)  The  first 
visit  of  Parsifal  to  the  Grail  Castle  and  his  failure  to  ask  the  redeeming 
question  (Act  I).  (2)  The  temptation  of  Parsifal  and  the  victory  -which 
makes  the  achievement  of  the  quest  possible  to  him.  (Act  II.)  (For 
Wagner's  departure  from  Wolfram's  conception  in  this  act,  see  below). 
(3)  The  second  visit  of  Parsifal  to  the  Grail  Castle,  and  the  healing  of 
Amfortas.  (Act  III.)  (b)  Modifications  of  the  legend  imposed  by 
Wagner's  ethical  purpose.  Character  modifications:  Parsifal,  the  pure- 
hearted  blunderer,  helpless  through  ignorance,  but  divining  knowledge 
through  pity,  becomes  Parsifal  the  Helper  and  Healer,  the  blameless 
knight-saint  and  Grail  King.  In  his  emphasis  upon  the  ascetic  ideal  of 
virtue,  Wagner  follows  the  later  or  Galahad  versions  of  Grail  Story. 
Klingsor,  the  magician,  type  of  evil.  Kundry ,  the  temptress.  Though 
suggested  in  the  medieval  romances,  "Kundry  is  Wagner's  great 
contribution  to  the  legend"  (Nutt).  The  Grail,  in  Parsifal,  the 
sacred  vessel  of  the  Christian  legend;  but  Wagner  makes  the  lance 
rather  than  the  grail  the  object  of  the  quest.  Preponderance  of 
Christian  SjTnbolism  over  legendary  features  in  3d  Act  of  the  Drama. 
(1)  Parsifal  as  a  Philosophic  Poem.  Matthew  Arnold's  definition  of 
poetry  as  "Criticism  of  Life."  How  Wagner's  dramas  meet  this  re- 
quirement. Parsifal  an  attempt  to  interpret  the  life  and  aspirations 
of  the  spirit  in  terms  of  Christian  symbolism.  Its  leading  ideas:  Sin 
and  suffering.  The  root-form  of  sin,  sensuality.  The  need  of  redemp- 
tion and  of  a  redeemer.  Pity,  the  moving  power  of  religion.  Self- 
conquest  and  renunciation  the  goal  of  life.  As  Wagner  the  musician 
interlinks  with  marvellous  skill  a  medley  of  musically  incongruous  but 
dramatically  pertinent  "leit-motifs,"  so  Wagner  the  poet-philosopher 
weaves  together  in  Parsifal  some  of  the  "leit-motifs"  of  the  Christian 
philosophy  of  life  and  intertwines  with  them  ideas  taken  from  Buddhism 
and  Schopenhauer's  philosophy  of  renunciation  and  despair.  Appraise- 
ment of  the  philosophy  of  Parsifal. 

READING  GUIDE. 
I.  Mediaeval  Romances. 

1.  Outlines  of  the  various  versions  of  the  Legend  in  the  French  Ro- 
mances and  elsewhere  will  be  found  in  Studies  on  the  Legend  of  the  Holy 
Grail*  Alfred  Nutt.  London,  David  Nutt,  1888.  Chapter  I.  Nutt's 
Studies  argue  for  the  Celtic  origin  of  the  Legend,  and  adduce  a  large 


12 

number  of  parallel  incidents  from  Celtic  Folk-Lore.  German  scholars 
have  in  the  main  been  sceptical  v-ith  regard  to  the  Celtic  theorj'  and 
have  sought  to  prove  the  Christian  origin  of  the  Legend. 

2.  The  Mabinogion,  translated  by  Lady  Guest,  contains  the  tale  of 
Peredur,  the  Son  of  Ewawc,  -which  parallels  the  French  Perceval  Ro- 
mances in  important  features.  In  Temple  Classics,  4  vols.  See  also 
Mabivogion,  Ivor.  B.  John,  in  Popular  Studies  in  Mythology  Romance 
and  Folk-Lore  (D.  Nutt),  and  Celtic  and  Medieval  Romance  by  Alfred 
Nutt  in  same  series. 

3.  jVIalorj''s  Morte  d'Arthur  (13th,  14tb  and  17th  books).  Malory's 
version  of  the  Legend  is  based  on  the  French  Prose  Romance  La  Queste 
del  St.  Graal,  ascribed  to  Walter  ^lap,  \\ho  died  1210.  In  this  romance 
Perceval  is  displaced  by  Galahad.  This  is  the  version  •which  Tennyson 
knew,  and  from  v.hich  he  worked. 

4.  Parzival*  Wolfram  von  Eschenbach's  Middle  High  German  poem 
of  the  thirteenth  century',  translated  into  English  verse  by  Jessie  L. 
Weston  (D.  Nutt).  Contains  appendices  on  Wolfram's  sources,  his 
relation  to  the  Conte  del" Graal  of  Chretien,  and  full  explanatory'  notes. 

II.  Modem  English  Poems  on  the  Grail  Legend. 

1 .  Idyls  of  the  King:   The  Holy  Grail*     Tennyson. 

2.  Th£  Quest  of  tlie  Sangraal*  R.  S.  Hawker,  the  Vicar  of  Mor- 
wenstow.  "It  is  much  to  be  regretted  by  all  lowers  of  English  poetry 
that  Hawker's  Quest  of  the  Sangraal  was  never  completed.  The  first 
and  only  chant  is  a  magnificent  fragment,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Laureate's  Sir  Galahad,  the  finest  piece  of  pure  literature  in  the  cycle" 
(A.  Nutt). 

III.  Wagner's  Parsifal. 

1.  Parsifal*  various  English  translations  of  the  Drama.  See  also 
Oliver  Huckel's  free  rendering  of  the  poem. 

2.  Wagner's  Prose  Warls.  Translated  by  W.  Ashton  EUis  (Scribner, 
8  vols.).  See  especiallv  his  essav,  Heroism  and  Christianity,  and  the 
Sacred  Festival  Play  in  Bayrexdh,  1882, 

3.  No  attempt  can  be  made  in  this  brief  space  to  offer  a  gruide  through 
the  volvuninous  literature  that  has  grown  up  about  Wagner's  Parsifal. 
The  following  books  vdW  be  found  useful  in  studying  Parsifal  as  a  fonn 
of  the  Grail  Legend:  The  Parsifal  of  Richard  Wagner*  translated  from 
the  French  of  Maurice  Kufferath.  (Tait,  Sons  &  Co.,  N.  Y.)  An  excel- 
lent study  of  the  Legend,  the  Genesis  of  the  Drama  in  Wagner's  mind, 
and  the  musical  as  well  as  lite.rar>'  character  of  the  "Sacred  Play." 

4.  Legends  of  tlie  Wagner  Drama,  by  Jessie  L.  Weston.  (Parsifal, 
pp.  155-21 7.) 

5.  Parsifal  and  Wagner's  Christianity.     D.  Irvine  (Scribner). 

6.  Guide  Through  Wagner's  Parsifal.     H.  v.  Wolzogen. 

The  High  History  of  the  Holy  Grail,  by  Sebastian  Evans.  Transla- 
ted from  the  French  (Temple  Classics). 


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